Rising Stars: Meet David King

Today we’d like to introduce you to David King. 

Hi David, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a track and field athlete from Plymouth, England. I’ve loved sport my whole life and grew up being completely inspired by the Olympic Games – it quickly became a dream of mine to become an Olympian. 

I tried all of the track and field events as I progressed through the age groups and eventually realized I was pretty good at the 110m hurdles. At age 17 I decided I wanted to take things to the next level and began studying at the University of Bath so that I could train with one of the best hurdle coaches in the UK. I had some great success over the next few years. I won the British Championships five times and represented my country on multiple occasions at almost every international competition possible – the World Championships, European Championships, and Commonwealth Games. There was one missing and it was the one I really cared about – the Olympics. 

I trained in Bath for 7 years from age 18 to 25. I progressed nicely for the first five years but the last two years I hit a roadblock – I couldn’t get any faster. At the time, I was finding it difficult to make any money in the sport. I worked an array of part-time jobs alongside training full time just to fund my career – including grilling chicken at the super popular chicken restaurant, Nando’s. I had already missed out on the Rio 2016 Games and Tokyo 2020 was fast approaching. Things were not looking good for me and I knew I needed to change things up if I were to stand a chance of achieving my dream. 

After a great deal of thought, lots of conversations, and many reservations, I decided that the best training setup for me was in Phoenix, Arizona. Coach Tim O’Neil had set up a world-class hurdles training group called Phoenix Track Club and offered me the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of it. I could not say no to an offer this incredible. I had never even been to the USA but I packed my bags and made the move in October 2019. I had saved up enough money to be able to stay for one year and hoped that I would be able to earn enough money during the 2020 track season to stay for longer. 

Training had been going great. The move reignited my love for the sport and I was confident that I could qualify for the Olympics – and then Covid hit and the Olympics were postponed one year. I suddenly had an extra year to prepare… an extra year of training to be even better but also an extra year of training on the other side of the world to fund. There were very few competition opportunities to earn money in 2020, so it quickly became apparent that I needed help if I were to keep training with Phoenix Track Club. 

I set up a GoFundMe page to appeal for the help of my friends, family, and supporters and I was overwhelmed by the response. So many people got behind me and I was able to raise enough money to stay for another year. I am eternally thankful to everyone who donated. The rest is history. 

I trained as hard as I could for the next year, knowing that there were so many people backing me. As soon as I started competing, I knew that I was in the best shape of my life and it didn’t take long for me to break my PR and achieve the Olympic qualifying time. I was over the moon and then a few weeks later cemented my place of the Great Britain Olympic team. 

Tokyo itself was an incredible experience. I made the semi-finals and was so proud of myself for achieving my dream. I am now in Phoenix continuing my training and I hope to compete at my second Olympics in 2024. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. I was supported by my national governing body (British Athletics) when I broke onto the scene as a young athlete but dropped in 2018 when they decided that I did not have enough potential to make the Olympic team. Two years out from the Games, this made it very difficult and was a blow to hear that my own governing body didn’t believe in me. It’s lucky everyone else did! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Track and Field – 110m hurdles. 

I’ve dedicated my life to the event and only now that I have achieved my dream am I beginning to focus on things away from the track. I now visit schools attempting to inspire the next generation. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Being better than your were previously. Do not compare to others. 

Contact Info:

• Email: Dking110h@gmail.com
• Website: www.Dking110h.weebly.com
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/Dking110h
• Twitter: www.Twitter.com/daveking_

Image Credits
SW Productions
Paul Dedewo