Kyra Jefferson Interview

TJ and Kyra discuss the race where she broke the collegiate record (1:15) and at what point the magnitude of her accomplishment finally hit her (7:52). She also opens up about the behind the scenes struggles from that year (10:36) and how she overcame them (12:08). Kyra discusses how she is approaching the 2021 Olympic trials (14:18) and the growth she has seen in herself since the 2016 trials (16:07). TJ asks her what she has to do differently this time around to make it to Tokyo (17:41) and how waiting an extra year has affected her mentally and physically (19:17). They talk about Kyra's father, Thomas Jefferson, being an Olympian and how that motivated her (22:22), what kind of expectations that has put on her (23:10) and any stories her dad has told her from his Olympic experiences (24:40). Kyra tells TJ what it means to her to represent the USA on the track (26:47). TJ asks Kyra about when she started in track (28:40) and what her parents, both accomplished track athletes, were like during her career as she grew up (30:09). Kyra discusses how close she came to choosing swimming over track (32:24) and when she realized she had a bright future in track and field (34:50). TJ asks why she ended up choosing to run for Florida (36:33). They breakdown what is was like to go pro. Kyra talks about the mentality switch upon turning pro (40:46), how long the transition took (42:21), when she saw herself as an equal (43:26), what it's like being a professional runner (45:29) and the pressure individual sport athletes, like track and field, have on them compared to athletes in team sport athletes (48:06). She discusses her Kyra Cares Foundation (49:24), how her foundation gets its message across (51:03) and when she realized she can make a difference with her personal brand (52:53). Kyra also discusses what she does in her down time (54:34). Lastly, TJ asks about Kyra's goals for the 2021 Olympic Trials (56:11).