Getting To Know Kristers Kudlis

By Ansley Gavlak

Freshman Kristers Kudlis never imagined his track career would carry him from Riga, Latvia, to Athens, Ga., but he's embraced the journey.

On a roster that represents 12 different countries, Kudlis has adjusted to the American lifestyle while also connecting with teammates from all around the world.

The distance runner joins the Bulldogs as one of over 45 newcomers, helping fuel one of the top track and field teams in the nation this season.

Here's a look at who Kristers Kudlis (Cood-liss) is…

Q: What was the biggest culture shock when you came to America?

Kristers: There were two. One was the small talk people like to do here. Everyone is like, 'Hi, how are you?' I'm like, 'Oh, good, good, good.' And I don't even know what to answer, because I'm not used to that. In Latvia, we may say, 'Hi,' and that's it, and move on. The other thing was the sizes of the drinks they have here. I would go to Chick-fil-A, order a large drink and expect half a liter, and it's almost a liter. I'm like, 'Wow.' And the free refills – I love the free refills here, as well.

Q: Have you had the chance to meet swim and dive senior Ieva Maluka, who is also from Latvia?

Kristers: I had weights, I think back in October, and she came up to me and said, 'Hi, I'm Ieva. You're Kristers right?' So, we chatted a little bit. I met her again at a football game. It was funny, because she asked me in Latvian, 'Have you been to a football game before?' I didn't understand what she was saying because I'm so used to speaking in English, and she suddenly speaks in Latvian. I'm like, 'What is she saying?' And my teammate was with me, and he's like, 'Oh, she's speaking Latvian.' Then I realized what she was saying.

Q: How often do you speak in Latvian now?

Kristers: Here, I basically only [speak] English. It takes a couple of seconds to switch between Latvian and English. So, for example, if I'm texting someone in Latvian, and someone comes up to me and starts speaking in English, my first response is in Latvian. I'm like, 'Oh,' and then I respond in English.

Q: What is it like living with teammates Mohamed Adoini and Nick Reynolds, where you are all from different countries?

Kristers: I think that's interesting, because each one of us have different cultural backgrounds. So, you can see he's from Tunisia, so he's a little bit different than us. Although, I would say he's more similar to me than to Americans, because Tunisia is almost like Europe, let's be honest. You can also see how it compares to our roommate, Nick, he's from America. He throws javelin. So, it's basically just cultural differences. I think the biggest difference you can see is the way we talk, because sometimes we would not really know how to say it in English. But at the same time, we would try, and I would get what he means, while Nick wouldn't. We have a teammate, Yasna [Petrova], from Bulgaria and sometimes she formulates the sentences a bit differently – the way we do in Europe. So when she says something that way, I understand what she means, but other teammates don't.

Q: When did you first get introduced to track and when did you become passionate about it?

Kristers: I think I started doing track back in first grade. So, I was like six years old. Before that, I used to go to soccer, basically since I could walk. But I didn't like the ball part of it, I liked the running part of it. So, my dad took me to track. From first grade to eighth grade, I would say, I didn't really care about it. I would come to practice, walk the workouts and warmups and just come for fun. But then COVID-19 hit and after that, I really realized I can do this. In ninth grade I finished eighth in European Under-18 Championships, and that's when I realized I can do this. From then on, I really tried. Going to NCAAs in 10th grade was more of my parents' dream than mine, but later I realized that's probably a good opportunity for me.

Q: What stood out to you about Georgia?

Kristers: Quite honestly, from the schools I reached out to, [Cross Country Coach Adam Tribble] was the only one who answered. We kept in touch for three or four months. He was like, 'I would like to see some improvements from your side, but let's keep in touch.' So, for three or four months, I would keep him updated on my progress. Then when I did 8:12.12 in 3000 meters indoors and he was like, 'Alright, you'll be fine.'

Q: Did you ever visit Georgia or did you commit before you came?

Kristers: No [I didn't visit]. It was a really good first impression as well. So, I was really happy when I got here.

Q: What's been your favorite part about Athens so far?

Kristers: I wouldn't say it's the location, I would say it's more the people. It's just different in culture from here compared to back home. People here are more open, which at first was like, 'Ah, I don't like that,' but I got used to it. So, I really do enjoy it here now.

Q: What are you most looking forward to for the rest of the season?

Kristers: We are hoping to do the (distance medley relay) in SECs. I'm really looking forward to that chance. I really hope I make the team on that, especially in the 1,200m. I would love to do that. We have Boston this week and I'm doing 3K, and I'm really excited about it. I think I can do good. For this indoor season, I would like to do sub-8:00 in 3K, or come very close to it at least. For outdoors, a sub-4:00 mile so I can be the first Latvian under four minutes.

Q: How have you adjusted to the style of training here?

Kristers: I have had two coaches before. I would say it's something in the middle of both of them. Something from my first coach and something from my second coach. It's definitely more endurance stuff than I have had for the past three years, but I think I'm adapting very well to it.

Q: What has been your best accomplishment so far?

Kristers: The European Under 20 Championships back in August where I got the silver medal.

Q: What has been your favorite memory in the sport?

Kristers: From track, probably the [European Under 20 Championships] or maybe the European Under 18 Championships, because that was my first big championship and I did very well in it. And you're kind of like, 'Whoa, I'm actually here.'

Q: What's your race-day routine?

Kristers: Usually my routine starts like two and a half, three hours before the race. I get some oatmeal and that's my pre-race meal. After that, I try to keep a chill mind and not stress about the race. And that's about it. An hour before the race, I start warming up and my goal during the warmup and before that is not to think about the race. I only start thinking about the race like 10 minutes before the race. Otherwise, you get nervous and you're just spending energy being nervous.

Q: What do you do to keep your mind off the race?

Kristers: I don't know, I just try to keep the mind clear and not think of anything. I don't think about particular things, I just try to keep thoughts out of my mind. I used to [listen to music], but I think it's just better for me if I don't do anything.

Q: What's your go-to post-race meal?

Kristers: Back in Europe it was McDonald's. Here it's Chick-fil-A.

Q: Do you prefer early morning or afternoon practices?

Kristers: Early morning practice, definitely. It's just easier to start the day off with a workout or practice. But when the day comes, you're really tired from the day itself, from the school and homework, and then you have to work out and it's more difficult. We had 7 a.m. practice back in fall, so I woke up at 6 a.m.

Q: If you could race any pro athlete for fun, who would it be?

Kristers: I'm too slow to race pro athletes right now, but I suppose it could be fun racing [Norwegian distance runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen].

University of Georgia Athletics

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