Norfolk senior Kayla Wilson enters the arena as Olympic hopeful
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Norfolk Academy senior Kayla Wilson shone in the national spotlight this summer when she reached the semifinals of the United States Olympic Trials in swimming. At only 17 years old, she was one step from actually qualifying for the Olympics. It was a success even she did not expect. “I just wanted to go in and learn a lot from swimmers who are more experienced than me,” Kayla said.
Her Olympic Trials competition began in early June, just after Academy’s school year closed. Kayla finished the women’s 200-meter freestyle in 2:00.03, making her one of 16 swimmers to qualify for the semifinals in that event. Despite this great accomplishment, only the top two swimmers qualify for the Olympics, and Kayla was not one of them. However, she still gained invaluable experience going up against star athletes, such as multi-Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky.
Kayla’s success came as no shock to Kristen Kirkman, Academy’s varsity swimming coach and school director of the Vaughan Aquatic Center. Kirkman has been teaching young students how to swim for years; Norfolk Academy’s swim program begins in first grade, as part of daily physical education instruction. When Kayla came to her for a lesson before she entered first grade, Kirkman immediately recognized a special talent.
“She moved so effortlessly,” said Kirkman.
This effortless aquatic ability runs in the family. Kayla’s mother, Katy Arris-Wilson, swam at the Olympic Trials in 1988 and 1992, and represented the United States in several international competitions in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is in the University of Texas sports hall of fame.
Kayla, who has verbally committed to attend and compete for Stanford University, began swimming when she was about 3 years old. A few years later, she started training at Tide Swimming, where her mother is president. Since then, she has competed in a multitude of events under some exceptional coaches.
“I owe a lot to Mrs. Kirkman,” Kayla said. She loves competing for Academy, she added, because of the team environment. “We’re all trying to win a state championship for our school,” she said.
Academy won a state title in 2019, and Kayla hopes to be part of another championship squad this coming winter season. Her longer term goal is to follow in her mother’s footsteps and qualify for an international competition, possibly the next Summer Olympics.
Kayla’s Olympic Trials success earned her a spot on the junior team for the Fédération internationale de natation (International Swimming Federation, FINA) World Cup, which is tentatively scheduled for October.
She’s not resting on her laurels. Kayla’s summer training involved more than seven hours at the pool on some days, but the workload suits her just fine. Kayla said, “It’s easy to be motivated when you have a goal ahead of you.”
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