Sky Sports spoke to Team GB sprinter Amber Anning, who has been on a far from conventional journey to fulfil her eight-year objective of competing at Paris 2024; now, she is set to be on the 400m start line for the Olympic final at the Stade de France on Friday
Friday 9 August 2024 08:45, UK
British sprinter Amber Anning is targeting a medal after qualifying for the women's 400m final at the Paris Olympics with an outstanding personal best in the semi-final.
The 23-year-old is a rising star for Team GB and, after clinching bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay alongside her British team-mates, the talented London-born athlete qualified for Friday's showpiece in a time 49.47 seconds.
"I'm just glad I executed and got my automatic qualification for the final and a PB - I can't ask for more than that," Anning told Eurosport after she finished her semi-final just behind European champion Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland.
"I'm just focusing on myself and I'm excited to get to that final and it's time to get a medal."
When Anning broke team-mate and 'inspiration' Dina Asher-Smith's U15 300m record back in 2016, it was clear British Athletics had a huge talent on its hands.
Now she is at the Paris Olympics with dreams of winning a medal in the 400m, after receiving glowing praise and having targeted these Games since the age of 15.
Anning, who grew up seeing Asher-Smith as an inspiration, broke her hero's British U15 record in the 300m and was the first and only British athlete to run under 39 seconds in that age group.
Earlier this year, Anning produced her best performance to date as she smashed Katharine Merry's 25-year-old British 200m indoor record in a time of 22.60 seconds.
She is also third on the GB 400m all-time list after running a brilliant 49.51 seconds, which is only a tenth of a second behind the record of one of her role models - Christine Ohuruogu.
Anning is one of many British athletes who favour the American 'NCAA' college system as they look to go professional and she believes this has put her in the best position to compete against the very best in Paris.
"It was just being able to be thrown amongst these athletes that raised my level both mentally and physically," she told Sky Sports News' Tejas Kotecha.
"Coach (Chris) Johnson's main message for all his athletes is 'you've got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable' and I think that's really helped me kind of chip down with my times this season."
Anning's outstanding season continued at the UK Athletics Championships as she secured her place in Paris, winning the GB Olympic trials in a Championship record of 50.47 seconds.
This was another sign her hard work in the US had paid off and the best is yet to come from an athlete who has fulfilled her eight-year objective of competing in her maiden Olympic Games.
"I wouldn't be able to get where I am without my whole team, from my friends, my coach, my family and everyone at the University of Arkansas," said Anning, from her family home in Brighton.
"To see the hard work pay off not only on my side but theirs as well is the most fulfilling feeling for me.
"I'm honoured to represent Team GB and I will represent them with pride."
For people who know Anning's story, her performances over the last two years do not come as a surprise as she has been breaking records and winning titles since she started competing for Brighton and Hove Athletics Club when she was nine years old.
Competing at her first senior World Championships in Budapest, Anning won her first global medal, claiming bronze in the 4x400m relay which was a remarkable achievement considering the challenges she had faced during the season.
After playing a pivotal role in the University of Arkansas's 4x400m relay team, setting the fastest indoor relay time in history, Anning suffered a recurring lower back injury which troubled her throughout her teenage years.
This left her unable to walk for weeks and raised doubts she would have enough time to recover and make the World Championships squad.
Anning credits her medal-winning comeback to being resilient and believing in the training and guidance from her coach Chris Johnson to get her back to the top of her game.
"I had a lot of trust in my coach and the training set-up, I feel like I'm in the perfect environment for me to have been so successful and it just involved me coming in every day and just giving effort.
"I never really thought I'd be able to get back to this level or go even further and accomplish what I have over the last two years."
On her recent Diamond League debut, Anning was surrounded by the world's greatest athletes in the 400m as they made their final preparations ahead of the Olympics.
Fellow University of Arkansas student Nickisha Pryce, ran an incredible world-lead time of 48.57 to win the race which puts her seventh on the all-time list, as Anning finished in fourth, coming close to Ohuruogu's British record once again.
Anning believes the level of performance we are seeing from many athletes will help put the sport back in the spotlight after going under the radar in recent years.
"Track and field is at an all-time high right now, especially with the Netflix series coming out which will give more of an insight into what we do," she said ahead of the Games.
"We are going to see performances that we haven't seen before and I am looking forward to being amongst it."
When she first lined up on the start line at the Stade de France, Anning realised a childhood dream and hopes her far-from-straightforward journey to her first Olympics can inspire the next generation of athletes.
"I remember being that age throwing myself into the sport and I just love giving back," she said.
"I love that I'm in this position now where I can inspire others and see the next generation come through."
