On March 29, 2024, then-sophomore Kendrick Smallwood finished last in the 110-meter hurdle preliminaries at the Texas Relays. Smallwood fell on one of the hurdles, straining his left abductor. He tore that same abductor weeks later, hurdling at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Fast forward exactly 365 days from when he fell and hurt his abductor, Smallwood was back at the Mike A. Myers Stadium, running in the 110-meter hurdle final. The day before, he ran a program-record 13.35-second race in the event’s preliminary. Smallwood had already made his mark at the Longhorns’ signature home meet, but he was not done yet.
The junior got as close to hurdle perfection as he ever had. He crossed the finish line in a wind-aided time of 13.07 seconds, becoming not only a Texas Relays champion but also the NCAA leader.
“Honestly, for me, (winning) was a breath of fresh air because it let me know that my dedication paid off,” Smallwood said. “My trust in God in getting me through that tough time paid off, trusting coach (Edrick Floréal), coach (Ricky Morgan Jr.), my trainers, myself. Overall, it was all worth it in the end because the results showed themselves that day and the day before.”
Smallwood has been accustomed to winning.
He was an undefeated hurdler in his sophomore and junior years of high school. During his senior year, he did much of the same until losing by a hundredth of a second in the 110-meter hurdles at, yes, the Texas Relays.
Smallwood graduated high school as the University Interscholastic League State Champion in the 110-meter hurdles and runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles to his now-teammate junior Kody Blackwood.
Getting back to winning ways, coupled with the comeback from injury, made his Texas Relays performance his most important yet.
“Going from being put on the back burner and not knowing what’s next to showing up and showing out at the Texas Relays … it made me proud,” Smallwood said. “(My injury) made me think that my career as a hurdler would be cut short.”
Smallwood started rehab a week after his injury last April. His regimen continued until the start of the indoor season in December. Throughout the long process, Smallwood did not know when he would be able to get back to hurdling and whether he would be able to return to his top level. The Texas Relays answered all of his questions.
Smallwood built on his performance with another impressive result last week at the Tom Tellez Invitational in Houston. He ran the 100-meter dash for the first time in three years, leading the field in the preliminary and finishing third in the final.
“My versatility as an athlete is very important to me because it lets me know that I have more in the tank than just being a hurdler,” Smallwood said.
In all of his events, Smallwood has a lot to look forward to. There is a month of regular season meets remaining, followed by the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships, the NCAA West Preliminaries and hopefully the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Still, Smallwood hopes his season extends further.
“The goal is to shoot for Tokyo,” Smallwood said.
He has his eyes set on qualifying for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Japan’s capital city this summer. Smallwood knows his resilience and momentum can take him far.
