With a heart for old people, Richardson twins hope to run to golden finish

Sprints twins Kayla and Kyla Richardson. Photo by Marc Reyes

KUALA LUMPUR—The Richardson twins, Kayla and Kyla, share the same passions: Running, watching TV series and taking care of their grandparents.

In fact, both are gerontology sophomores at University of Southern California.

“We are very close to them (maternal grandparents), we take care of them as much as we can,” added Kayla.

Kyla said the gerontology, a course that deals with the scientific study of old age, the process of aging, and the particular problems of old people, is a growing field and a new major at USC.

“Plus people will get old eventually, they would need people to help them,” said Kayla.

At the moment, Kyla and Kayla said their lives, all 18 years of them, revolve around running.

“We just love running,” said Kyla who is a minute older than sprints queen Kayla. Kyla is entered in the relay events.

They even run to get away from the stress of competition.

No wonder the 18-year-olds are the “marked women” in the Southeast Asian Games sprints and relay events, which start on Tuesday.

Kayla, the reigning century dash champion and silver winner in 200 meters, said they also enjoy watching TV series like Grey’s Anatomy and Food Network shows, and going to the beach.

The Richardsons said they were not bothered by jet lags as they spent five days in Manila to train.

They also don’t put pressure on themselves even though they are expected to bring in honors in the track and field competitions.

“Dr. (Philip) Juico (track and field president) told us not to be bothered by pressure, because when we are relaxed, success is on our side,” said Kayla.