Kendall Ellis is competing in her first individual 400-meter Olympic event, but she almost missed out on even getting to Paris because she got stuck in a porta potty ahead of the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field trials back in Oregon.
“I went to go use the restroom, the porta potty, and the lock got jammed. I was stuck in there for about 10 minutes, an hour before my race,” she shared with CBS Sports. “Once I was panicking and realizing I did not have a way to get out, I started banging on the door calling for help. Thankfully a worker helped me and we managed to both jimmy the lock.”
While trapped, Ellis said she even started to think about how she was going to explain to her coach why she missed her race, and wondered if anyone would even believe her.
The experience could hardly be considered fun, but some good things came out of it. Charmin found out about the quirky moment and offered her a partnership. But even better, Ellis overcame that stressful incident and ended up winning the women’s 400m national title with a personal best of 49.46 seconds.
She can laugh about it now, but some things will never be the same.
“Now, this is so embarrassing to say but, I bring my phone with me every time I go to the bathroom and I’m a little worried about locking the door because I’m traumatized,” she said.
Ellis made the Tokyo Games 400-meter relay team and returned to Los Angeles with a gold medal for the women’s 4x400m relay and bronze for the mixed 4x400m relay.
She missed out on a spot for the individual event because during the trials she was passed by Allyson Felix in the last 10 meters. Finishing in fourth place hurt because she was so close, but now she is happy to be in Paris with the opportunity to compete in an individual event. Ellis will run in the repechage race Tuesday morning to try to advance to the next round.
“I think the difference has been mindset, really committing to it and approaching the race differently,” she said. “Embracing that pain that is the 400m a lot more than I have in the past and just really going for it.
“The expectations for myself, I don’t think they are as rigid as ‘I need to win’ or I need to place top three. I think for me the expectation is that I go out and compete the way I know how to compete and the cards will fall where they fall … The goal is to ultimately win, that’s what we are looking for, but I want to go out there and compete with the best of them the best that I can.”
Ellis said she has enjoyed the Parisian experience thus far, taking some time to sightsee and shop, along with meeting other athletes. She explained that one of the coolest things for her is seeing superstars around the village doing the same everyday things she is doing because it humanizes them. However, she does still get a little nervous.
“I did see Simone Biles. I was really shy so I just said hi from a distance, but it was really exciting getting to see her in person,” she said. “… I haven’t befriended anyone because I’m shy. But I did get to meet LeBron and I did get to ask him for a picture.”
Her sport also has plenty of American star power with the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson, who won the 100m silver medal on Saturday, and Noah Lyles, who is halfway to his 100-200 double, as well as the men’s 4x100m relay.
“I think it’s inspirational to see them put themselves out there every single time, on the line, and really give it their all,” Ellis said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the competition and the rest of the athletes to follow.”
