MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — Zakia Kalista of Manitowoc is making a name for herself in the world of inline skating after securing a spot on the Junior USA World Team, a milestone that caps off years of dedication and hard work.
The 18-year-old has experienced a rapid rise in the sport, having only picked up inline skating four years ago. Now, she's a four-time national champion and officially World team bound.
"This year I was like ready, strong, powerful, mind was right. And I went into it hoping to get on the team, got on the team. Some races weren't the greatest I wasn't too happy with my performance but there were races that I was happy about," Kalista said.
If that wasn't a big enough week, Kalista graduated from Manitowoc Lincoln High School just one day after clinching her spot on Junior Team USA and, she already has her sights set on bigger goals.
"My plan is to transfer to ice and go over to ice and try doing long track for the Olympics so, that's a lot but I gotta keep training, and keep working hard," Kalista said.
Her coach, Carly Valdez-Romdenne, recognized Kalista's potential from the first time coach saw her skate.
"I just kept hounding at her. So I would skate up to her and just kind of remind her, hey you really have this talent I think you should really explore it and really kinda from the moment she stepped on the rink she's a natural at it," Carly said.
Kalista is now focused on fundraising and training for the World Championships in China this September, ready to represent her country and her hometown on a global stage.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness.
