On Monday 1 March, we were lucky to receive a talk from former GB sprinter and Olympic medallist, Anyika Onoura. She discussed her journey to become an athlete and the struggles she faced during her career. Her love of athletics first started when she competed in Sports Day at school. Anyika described it as her ‘time to shine’ where she enjoyed competing in all events from the 100m and 200m to the 400m.
After being scouted by a coach and joining a local athletics club, Anyika’s passion and success in athletics further increased. Within a year she’d won numerous local competitions, competing mainly in the 100m sprint, before competing in larger national competitions.
Although she had a lot of success in her early career, Anyika discussed the struggles she faced as she progressed to senior level. At university she juggled her commitment to training, her job which was needed to fund her competitions, whilst being a full-time student at the University of Liverpool.
She unfortunately lost her father 6 months prior to the 2012 Olympics, hugely affecting her mental wellbeing. Despite this, she was still determined to compete at the Olympics as her dad was the one who would always support and encourage her to train and do her best.
Specialising in the short sprints and sprint relays in her early career, and despite being part of the Great Britain 4 x 100 metres relay team that took gold at the 2014 European Athletics Championships, Anyika’s coach suggested a move to the longer 400 metres sprint and relay in her later career which led to her most significant individual and relay successes.
However, Anyika faced further setbacks in the build-up to the 2016 Olympics when she contracted Malaria during a trip to visit family in Nigeria, temporarily leaving her unable to walk. Staying determined through her treatment and having a support system around her, Anyika beat the odds, learnt to walk and run again, and pushed through to make a full recovery to win bronze with Team GB in Rio only 10 months later.
It was fascinating to gain an insight into the life and experiences of a professional athlete. Anyika is an inspiration to many young aspiring athletes especially considering the challenges she faced and how she overcame adversity at so many points in her career.
by Lucy Blyth and Emily Delaney (Lower 6)
