A chance tennis lesson from a sporting legend helped Kendall Baisden believe that anything was possible from the age of ten.
On that day almost two decades ago, her parents told her they were taking a trip from their Michigan home to New York. When they got there, they said she would be having a one-on-one tennis lesson from Richard Williams. By then, he'd helped make daughters Venus and Serena into champions.
The opportunity had come about as a stroke of luck after Baisden's uncle was able to get his foot in the door through a link to the sisters' management and his niece's reputation for being a talented young player.
Baisden, 28, says the encounter with Williams was 'a defining moment' that ignited her self-belief. She went on to become a champion sprinter at the Pan American Games and has now taken on the fashion world, walking in Paris and Milan.
'It was a one time thing but it was very impactful,' Baisden told DailyMail.com. 'It just came out of the blue and that was the surreal aspect. But that environment on the court, having a conversation, getting tips on my technique, I saw improvement straight away. It was exhilarating.'
Kendall Baisden is a star athlete taking on the fashion world as a model (seen at the Miu Miu Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 Paris Fashion Week show)
Kendall Baisden in the women's 400 meter semi-final during athletics competition at the 2015 PanAm Games in Toronto
Kendall Baisden #1059 unattached wins the women's 60 meter dash at Dempsey Indoor Center on February 15, 2019 in Seattle, Washington
Baisden's love of sport started when she was just six years old. One of her earliest memories is being at her local racket club. Her parents, mum Tina and dad Anthony, need somewhere for her to be while they worked.
'My mom literally put me in it just so that I can have an after school activity while her my dad were at work. And then it just became like a very integral part of my daily life,' she said.
At age eight, she was taking lessons and began entering tournaments at the junior competition level.
The sport took her all over the state, visiting developmental programs, including a tennis camp at Michigan State University when she was nine.
'It was the first time I'd ever been away from home for more than two days,' she says.
'My parents sent me there because they wanted to know if I had any type of future in tennis because they were like, "we're, we're putting her through this, it's consuming a lot of her time, if it's not worth it, we need to find something else for her to do".
'They really wanted me to be able to play it at the college level so I could pay for my tuition and then at the professional level.'
When her mom picked her up, the coach mentioned that Baisden was an incredibly fast sprinter, and suggested she join a track team.
Baisden maintained her commitment to tennis, but signed up to an athletics club. She became motivated to achieve success at the highest level after finding encouragement and inspiration from experts who backed her.
She took on advice from Allyson Felix, the most decorated female track and field athlete in Olympic history, who would sometimes be at her practices to give talks or watch from the sidelines.
'I found the people I was meeting are real people, not some fairy tale superheroes. These are people that share the same hunger and love for being active, and trying to compete at a high level.'
While Williams had seen Baisden's talent during their lesson and he'd encouraged her to follow her heart, whether it be tennis or track.
Baisden runs the final leg of the American 4x400 meter relay team to win the gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games at CIBC Athletics Stadium in Toronto, Canada on July 25, 2015
Baisden wears a long brown dress, black boots, and an oversized metallic Telfar bag after the Missoni show during the Milan Fashion Week - Spring / Summer 2022 on September 24, 2021 in Milan, Italy
Baisden holds the American flag after she won the 400 meter final during Day 13 of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games on July 23, 2015 in Toronto, Canada
'He said "it's up to her which sports she wants to play." He could see the hunger in my eyes, he could see that I could develop very quickly if I put my heart to it and if I had good guidance.'
She was going to meets, with her athletics club and her love for the competitive nature of racing was starting to feel stronger.
'I really liked the whole aspect of the camaraderie of you know, battling it out with someone who's going to push you to your best,' she says.
'When I started reaching the 52 second mark in the 400, I think I was in eighth grade, I was running against like college athletes at the USA championships for junior level. That that was an awakening moment.'
In the years since, the high-achieving runner has built up a long list of accomplishments.
During high school, she won a silver medal at the World U18 Championships, and is a three-time World U20 Champion and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) champion.
In her sophomore year, she took out two golds at the Pan American Games, winning her individual 400m dash and as part of the team 4x4 relay.
She decided to turn professional, leaving the University of Texas with Adidas as a sponsor and began training for the 2016 Rio de Janerio Olympics.
At 28, she's now juggling a career in modelling while preparing for Paris 2024
Baisden wins Gold in the Women's 4x400m Final during Day 15 of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games at the Pan Am Athletics Stadium on July 25, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
But trials did not go as expected, and the moment proved more of a look at the next step on the ladder.
'I don't regret leaving as a college athlete to go pro because like I said, I knew that's what I wanted to do, that was my focus.'
She used the gap before her next attempt to try understand herself more and what she needed to succeed.
When her coach told her 'go find a hobby' until training resumed, she took it literally.
Baisden had been encouraged to model over the years but always felt too focused on her sport until she was reminded that she could probably make something of it.
She linked up with a friend who took some photos when she felt a shift in her interest.
'As I got in front of the camera, I just felt this energy. Something took over me, I don't know what it was, I just felt really connected with the camera, I felt connected with the imagination of it all, becoming this character.'
She went after it for a year, and then signed with a small agency in LA.
Baisden of Texas runs the College Women's 4x400 Championship of America during the Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The 28-year-old holds a long list of accomplishments
Shakima Wimbley, Kyra Jefferson, Shamier Little and Kendall Baisden of the USA celebrate winning Gold in the Women's 4x400m final
'It was surprising, I was starting at 23,' she says. 'It was supposed to be a hobby, and it turned into something more because I just got really enthralled in the whole creative aspect of it.'
In the fall of 2019, she decided to go back to Texas to finish her undergraduate degree and train with her college coach but set a goal of walking fashion's most well-known runway - New York Fashion Week.
She struck the next best thing.
When she got asked if she would want to be a part of a shoot for a reimagined Paris Fashion Week for Thom Browne, she started to feel reassured she was pursuing something worthwhile.
The team rented out the USC Football Stadium to create a pre-recorded mini-movie to play as a presentation.
'The whole concept behind the show was this futuristic idea of how the Olympics will look after the Olympics had been cancelled and they wanted to work with real athletes.
'The clothing was just immaculate. I'd never worn anything so immaculate. He's a model's dream to walk for.
'I remember after it was released, I came to practice and and my teammates and coach were just looking at me like "what were you doing in New York to land this?" and I was thinking, "I have no idea". It was so funny, but I felt validated.'
Baisden (pictured in a snap from her Instagram) had been encouraged to model over the years about modelling but always felt too focused on her sport until she was reminded that she could probably make something of it. She linked up with a friend who took some photos when she felt a shift in her interest
She got straight back to training for her second Olympic trials for the Tokyo games which were ultimately moved to 2021.
'I knew, "I'm not at my best but I'm gonna step on this line and I'm ready to go mentally". So that's what I did.'
She didn't make it to prelims, but learned a lot about what she thinks it will take.
'I have that fight, it's just a matter of time, finding the right fit for my training environment, and just really getting connected between my mental and my physical because my mental is there, it's just the physical wasn't there.'
With some downtime, she set her sights on and ending up rebooking with Thom Browne for her first ever show in live 2021.
From there it felt like everything fell into place. Baisden has appeared in some of the world's biggest fashion events from Milan to Paris and New York, walking for names like Missoni, Blumarine and Miu Miu. She's participated in 16 runway shows and counting.
'It's been a ride and it's been really exciting and I feel like it's something that also has builds my confidence as Kendall Baisden.'
She says the experience has been a journey but hopes others can take away some of the lessons she's picked up along the way.
She says sometimes it takes being 'really in tune' with what you want out of something, protecting your passion and not letting other people's ideas tell you how far you will or won't go.
'Really focusing on yourself and really being so selfish, like, "no, this is what I love" and "this is what I want to do and I'm going to keep doing it".
'Also being very forgiving yourself and gracious to yourself and patient with yourself.'
Baisden says while she can be very ambitious, she is prone to overthinking but stays optimistic everything will work out as it should.
'Really understanding why you're doing something and making sure that is why you keep doing it and not losing that theme.'
While there's many things she could be proud of, Baisden is most grateful for: 'Being able to pick myself up when I'm down, to still have a love and passion and not giving up or quitting just because it's not going the traditional way.'
As she continues to thrive in the fashion world, she's preparing for the Olympic trials for the Paris 2024 games.
'I've put myself in a good position to drop my times a lot next year. I'm going to go for it.'
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