The European U18 champion discusses his record-breaking achievements, his big influences and why he wears a baseball cap the wrong way round
Matthew McKenna began the track season with modest ambitions on the national stage but ended it by firmly establishing himself on the international scene.
The 17-year-old captured the 800m gold medal at the European U18 Championships in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, clocking a time of 1:52.91 with a strong finish in July.
Recognisable for racing with his signature baseball cap on backwards, he then brought his competitive summer to a close on a high at the Watford BMC in August.
The Walton athlete cut nearly two seconds off his previous personal best in the two-lap event, dropping from 1:48.78 to 1:46.84. This achievement places him second on the European U18 all-time list, just behind Olympic finalist Max Burgin’s 2019 record of 1:45.36.
McKenna’s rise has been rapid, especially considering he only began seriously competing two years ago after moving south from Scotland. He is now more determined than ever to continue testing himself against the best.
Matthew McKenna [C] (Getty)
How did it all begin?
It was lockdown and I was living in Aberdeen, and I would just run every day because I had nothing else better to do. In the middle of the pandemic, I moved down to England, and I wasn’t on the track at all. I was playing football, but I wasn’t really enjoying it. I wanted to play to a high standard, and I also wanted to do a sport where everything was dependent on me – where if I lost it was my fault and if I won then I achieved it myself.
So I decided to join track and I’ve only been racing at a high level for two years. If you told me two years ago this would be happening, then I would have laughed in your face.
How did it feel to win the European U18 800m title this summer?
Something happened in that warm-up area. It was the best I have ever felt. I was walking along, singing to music and I was in a flow. In the call room I sometimes feel a bit flat, but I watched Shaikira King’s race [the Briton came second] on the little computer whilst everyone else was jumping around and it gave me a surge of energy. I managed to carry that through onto the start line and from the start line it was brilliant.
I went around really slowly, but I knew that I could handle slow and then burn through the last 200m. Once you see the finish line and no-one else in front of you it feels surreal, so I kept pushing and what a race it was.
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Did you expect to run 1:46.84 at the Watford BMC?
I raced another BMC this year [Bury] and ran 1:48 in windy conditions so I knew I was in good shape, and [that] I might as well throw myself into one more.
I went through 400m in about 52 seconds, and I thought: “Oh my god I feel amazing” so I just maintained it. To have such elite athletes in front of me and knowing that I can run with athletes of that kind spurred me on in the last 200m and I just kept with it. It was definitely another shock to the system.
Who do you look up to?
I aspire to all these amazing athletes, and I want to be in so many of their shoes. I want to race in the races that they are in, especially Josh Kerr. He’s from Scotland so what an inspiration he is to me. Also, Max Burgin. Hopefully I can race him sometime in the future. That would be a pretty big dream but for now I will continue going for his times.
Why do you always wear a backwards baseball cap during a race?
It’s a gimmick. When I first started racing, I always wore a hat and then I just started wearing it more often and in training. When I train with something I don’t want to change it in the race. I took it off for one of my 1500m races and I just felt weird, so I’ve got to keep it on and hopefully I continue running the times with it.
What does an average week of training look like?
I had a brilliant winter with my coach, doing sprint work plus some aerobic work, so I responded to that well. My summer training has been pretty consistent. I am not a high mileage athlete, so I won’t run too far. I’ll be sprinting once or twice a week whilst keeping that aerobic base throughout. I train on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I’ve got a Saturday session where my brother has started training with me.
Matthew McKenna (Getty)
What are your next goals?
This year my goal was to run 1:53, which I ran indoors and then I ran 1:50 and I just kept getting better. I’ve got to set myself realistic targets of just bettering myself and I just want to be better than I was.
I’m not really looking into what specific races I need to run or what mileage I need to hit, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and progressing. I want to win everything. I’ve always been like that since I was a kid playing football.
What would Matt when he started running say to Matt now?
Don’t care about what other people are doing. You see times on the internet, and you watch people running races and you think: “Why am I not at that standard?” Or “Why is he better than me?” You need to just keep thinking about yourself and what you want to do and how you are going to get better, not other people.
» This article first appeared in the October issue of AW magazine. Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
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