Shaun Dietz has watched Kadecia Baird break one record after another and while it has surprised him, he doesn’t think his star sprinter quite gets what she has accomplished.
“I don’t think she has yet to absorb the magnitude of what is going on with her,” the Medgar Evers coach said.
That would be establishing herself as arguably the nation’s top sprinter.
She ran the fastest time in the country this season, clocking in at 52.14 seconds to win the 400 meters at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in North Carolina last Saturday. It is also the 18th best time in U.S. history. Baird also ran the nation’s second best time of 23.26 in the preliminary round of the 200. Her 400 time would be good enough to qualify her for the U.S. Olympic trials, according to Dietz.
“Words can’t explain how happy I am,” Baird said. “That’s something special.”
The 400, while is becoming her signature race, isn’t her favorite. Baird feels it’s too long and would rather run the 100 or 200. Still, what made the feat more impressive to her is the fact that she did it without being pushed at end. Her closest competitor, Kyle Plante of Colonie, N.Y., placed second at 53.32 and was well behind her with 50 meters to go.
“Usually I run to my competition,” she said. “I stopped doing it. I was able to run at my level at my own time.”
Baird has been on a tear since the PSAL Outdoor championships. There, she was named the meet MVP after winning the 100, 200 and 400 meters. She went to the state championship and placed first in the 100 and posted a personal best time of 11.63 – good enough for 25th in the nation – and also took home the 200 crown. Baird has drawn interest from some of the nation’s top track programs, such as Texas A&M, LSU, Central Florida, South Carolina and Clemson, among others.
Her season isn’t over yet. She will run in the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain in July. Baird can’t help but wonder what lies ahead. He believes she is capable of milestones people haven’t seen from a girls high school sprinter, like running 50 to 51 seconds in the 400.
“I am very optimistic that can happen next year,” Dietz said.
Like she has shown in the waning weeks of the season, Baird is a superb finisher, but is often too cautious early in races out of fear of tiring at end. It’s a more forceful start that will get her where she wants to go, she said.
“I just have to be a little more aggressive when I get off the blocks,” Baird said. “Some [good] stuff will be happening if I do.”