European under-18 100m champion talks about her time spent training in Jamaica alongside the best of the best as she heads into the World Under-20 Champs this month
Training alongside Yohan Blake, the second-fastest man ever over 100m and 200m, is something few can claim to have experienced. For Nia Wedderburn-Goodison, however, this became her reality when she was given the opportunity to join his training group last year.
The 19-year-old seized the chance to be coached by world medallist Michael Frater for six weeks in Kingston. The experience has proved to be beneficial, with the Briton clocking a personal best of 11.21 seconds at Lee Valley in June and then competing in the 100m final at the UK Athletics Championships, facing a strong line-up of senior athletes and finishing sixth.
At just 16, Wedderburn-Goodison became the British under-20 champion and then European under-18 champion in 2022. Now, she is setting her sights on the world under-20 gold medal this month in Peru. Driven by her dreams, she has high Olympic aspirations for her future.
How did you get into athletics?
It started when I was five and it was because of a sports day win in reception. I wasn’t even in primary school yet. Before the sports day I had been telling my parents that I was the fastest in my school and they didn’t believe me. They then came down to sports day and watched me win by quite a distance. From there they took me and my older sister to a track club and I haven’t stopped since then.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison (Mark Shearman)
How did it feel to run a PB of 11.21 this year?
I felt 11.2 had been coming for a long time. The first time I ran 11.3 was in 2022 so even back then I was looking to run 11.2 but I got injured mid-way through the season and I couldn’t realise my full potential. This season it was a big goal to chop down on that PB and seeing that time when I crossed the line was unreal. I was definitely expecting to see a drop, but I think I just needed the perfect race and I got that.
What was it like being the only junior in the British Championships final?
I feel like that is always the level I have wanted to be at. I’ve been doing the sport for 14 years and I’ve watched all the senior girls on TV. I was 15 when I first started dreaming of lining up with those athletes but, back then, it wasn’t as realistic, so it was a great feeling to make that final.
I definitely gave it my all in that race and that’s something I can be proud of, but I wanted more from the race because I went into the competition ranked fourth and I came out sixth. I was still proud of myself after the race to be the only junior in the final, but I still feel like I could have gotten more from the competition.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison (Mark Shearman)
How was your training experience in Jamaica?
The main focus over there is athletics. I would have to leave where I was staying at 5:30am to get to the track and we would be training for five hours. Training in Jamaica is a whole different level, I was training alongside the likes of Yohan Blake and Briana Williams with Michael Frater coaching me.
My uncle manages the sprinting group Titans International in Jamaica and he has been telling the coaches about me since I was 13. In January last year I had some time to take six weeks away from school so they brought me over.
What did you take away from your time spent in Jamaica?
It showed how much harder they work over there. People in the UK work hard but Jamaicans live and breathe track. I took that experience as I was going to work as hard as them so that I could get to the level the Jamaicans are on. It was definitely needed, I learned a lot.
As seniors, Yohan Blake and Michael Frater gave me a lot of advice so it was a great experience. I even had to keep my cool and pretend to be professional.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison and Renee Regis (Getty)
What is your training set-up now back in the UK?
My coach is Ryan Freckleton and he trains quite a few senior athletes such as Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Jona Efoloko. There are seven or eight of us and we train more or less every day apart from Sundays. We all push each other, and I get a lot of advice from the senior athletes.
Who is your inspiration?
Usain Bolt is the cliché answer but for me he has been so consistent. There was a never a year he had a “down year”. I think his consistency that he had is something that I aspire to have in the sport.
I also look up to Dina Asher-Smith because she has that British record and is putting British sprinting on the map. Daryll Neita and Imani-Lara Lansiquot as well, there are so many girls coming up now and I look up to all of them.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison pips Joy Eze (Mark Shearman)
What is your biggest achievement to date?
It would have to be winning two gold medals [in the 100m and sprint medley] at the European Under-18 Championships because that is a title that you carry with you for your whole life.
That was what we had been working towards all year. I had never competed at international competitions before and me and my coach worked towards that gold medal all year.
What are your ultimate goals?
I’d like to be an Olympic gold medallist – I am thinking far ahead but I definitely want to be a gold medallist in the 100m, 200m and the relay. I am currently building to be a 200m athlete because right now it feels so long.
This year I want to win gold in the World Under-20 Championships in Peru in August and I think we have a good shot at the relay gold, too. I basically want all gold because you can’t think of anything else, you have to believe in yourself.
What message would you give to your younger self?
Be patient, trust yourself and believe in the process.
» This article originally appeared in the August issue of AW magazine. Subscribe here
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