Woodlawn Runner Jayla Kirkland Goes Against the World’s Best In Poland
As Jayla Kirkland runs around the track behind Hayes K-8 School in Birmingham, there’s no one else in sight. But this week, the 17-year-old world-class sprinter from Woodlawn High School competes in a crowded field of runners in Bydgoszcz, Poland at the International Association of Athletic Federations Championships (IAAFC). She wants to be alone there too – sprinting first across the finish line.
“I’ll be running against every junior from ages 14 to 19, competing for the gold,” she says.
Jayla’s time of 23.11 seconds in the 200 meters took first place last month at the prestigious New Balance Nationals Outdoor competition. In that same competition, she placed third in the 100-meter race. That kind of success paved her way from public housing to Poland as part of the U.S. national team.
There’s a key to getting there, Kirkland says: “I train three to four days a week. It takes a lot of hard work and consistency to get on the level that I am at, and of course, God.”
Jayla is an honor student in the Business and Finance Academy at Woodlawn. She’s hoping her sprinting propels her through college and a degree in sports management. These dreams took root back in seventh grade when a middle school coach noticed something.
“At basketball practice, my coach saw that I had speed, so he suggested I try out for the track team,” she says. “I did pretty good in my first meet and kept going with it.”
Jayla trains with coach Myra Hawkins, a teacher and former runner. As Jayla sprints around the track, Hawkins is on the sidelines giving instructions, clocking runs, and offering encouragement. Jayla, she says, is different.
“She pushes through even when she is not feeling her best,” Hawkins says. “There are a lot of students who come out here and want me to train them. They get tired and they don’t show back up.”
But Jayla is consistent, and the training will continue, Hawkins says.
“As long as she wants me to help her, I’m going to be alongside her, helping her, pushing her to make sure she reaches her goals.”
Jayla has her sights set on Olympic gold. She didn’t qualify for the 2016 games, but she’s already thinking about 2020 in Tokyo.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
