Matt Dionne | Sports and Health Editor
Featured illustration: Bingham is looking forward to the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. | Photo courtesy of Jason Ramson/Olympics Canada
Canadian sprinter Khamica Bingham agreed to do an interview with Excalibur about her time at the 2016 Olympic games in Brazil.
Excalibur: What was your training regime like leading up to the Olympics?
Bingham: Training is a lot shorter but very specific. I would be working on the different phases of my race, block starts, etc.
E: Was there an adjustment period for you when you first arrived in Rio?
B: Luckily, we didn’t have much of a time change to deal with when we arrived in Rio. It was an hour ahead of Toronto, but the flight was soooooo long!
E: There were a lot of complaints about the athletes’ housing, how were your accommodations?
B: My accommodation wasn’t the greatest but I managed to deal with it. Our showers would flood for six to eight hours before they would drain, and they struggled to get a mixture of hot and cold water.
E: Did you have a chance to experience many of the tourist attractions Rio has to offer, or were you too busy training and preparing for your events?
B: Yeah, I didn’t get to see much because I competed early in the games on Aug. 12 and then the 19 and 20, so I was still in focus mode and training throughout. However, I managed to watch a table tennis match and that was pretty exciting!
E: What was the Olympic Village like?
B: The Olympic Village is really big, with so many athletes! They had a games room, 24-hour main dining, spa, McDonald’s and little shops. So there was so much to do especially in our Canada building. We had an athlete lounge where we watched the sports, eat snacks and just hangout. The ‘thing’ that every athlete in the village was doing was trading pins, which I will give myself an ‘A’ for because I brought home so many!
E: What was the overall experience like for you?
B: I felt a mixture of different emotions. I didn’t have my parents there to watch me because it was pretty dangerous for them, not being protected. But it was absolutely inspiring to see some incredible athletes and getting to meet them. I also really enjoyed the free perks of getting beats by Dr. Dre, a Samsung phone and other little gifts from P&G.
E: What was it like having the eyes of the whole world on you?
B: It’s amazing, but a little nerve-racking! I try not to get caught up in everyone watching, and instead just enjoy the moment and go out there and compete at my best!
E: Did you ever find yourself overwhelmed by the moment?
B: Not really! I prepared myself all year for these races, and it is just like another meet that I have done in the past. It’s way more exciting getting to compete against the best in the world and represent your country while doing it, because at that point you’re not just doing it for you, but for your country as well.
E: Was there a lot of bonding between the Canadian Olympic team, or did people predominantly stick to their own groups (such as boxers hanging out with boxers and track and field athletes only hanging out with track and field athletes)?
B: It can get pretty divided among the Canadians hanging out with their own sport, but we definitely all speak and try and understand how the other sports work.
E: What were your relationships like with athletes from other countries, did you know any going in? Did you get a chance to meet any?
B: Yeah, especially other track athletes because we see them often at other major track and field games. I personally know many athletes from USA, Great Britain, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, etc.
E: Were you satisfied with your performance?
B: I was disappointed in my performance for the 100 metre because I just missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals by one spot of 0.02 seconds. But I felt very proud of my anchor leg for the women’s 4×100 metre relay where I came from behind and beat China to qualify us for the finals. The next day, we didn’t have the greatest race but I’m still grateful to say I’m an Olympic Finalist.
E: Do you plan on attending the next Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo?
B: Absolutely! I would only be 26 by then and that’s around the age where most sprinters are their strongest and fastest. The countdown from four years starts now!
