The 28-year-old ran a 400m personal best at the London Diamond League, perfect timing ahead of her Olympic performance
Laviai Nielsen first stepped foot inside London Stadium during the 2012 Olympic Games as Jessica Ennis-Hillâs bag carrier. Little did she know that 12 years later she would return to the same iconic stadium, not as a volunteer, but as a competitor, breaking the 50-second barrier in the 400m for the first time.
Last Saturday (July 20) Nielsen ran 49.87 at the London Diamond League, taking a chunk off her PB of 50.67. Finishing in fifth place, the run moves Nielsen from No.12 on the UK all-time rankings to No.7.
âI said to my coach I am not leaving that stadium without 49 next to my name,â says Nielsen. âThis whole season I have had to be patient and it has been a long time coming. I said I donât care what happens in May, June, July as long as I am ready in August and now I am ready.â
Crossing that line in tears brought Nielsen back to London 2012 where she worked as a volunteer.
Carrying the bags of Olympic champion Ennis-Hill inspired the youngster to reach her full potential and become an Olympian one day herself. âI really mean it when I say this is my favourite place in the world,â says Nielsen.
âThis is the stadium where I was inspired to commit to the sport full time in 2012. I have this stadium to thank for so much.â
Laviai Nielsen (Getty)
The London Stadium seems to embrace Nielsen as much as she cherishes it. After deciding to focus solely on the 400m, Nielsen clinched her first major championship medal in the 4x400m at the 2017 World Championships, hosted at the London Stadium.
While studying geography at Kingâs College London, Nielsen, alongside her GB team-mates Zoey Clark, Eilidh Doyle and Emily Diamond, won the silver medal in front of a home crowd.
Laviai Nielsen at London 2017 (Getty)
Nielsenâs success at the London Stadium didnât end there. In 2019, she broke the 51-second barrier at the Anniversary Games clocking 50.83. Remarkably, this milestone occurred on the same track and exactly five years to the day she achieved her sub-50 triumph last weekend (July 20).
Itâs clear that Nielsen wonât be turning down any opportunities to race in London again. âThereâs a million reasons why this stadium is my favourite place in the world,â says Nielsen.
âThis is the stadium where I won my first medal seven years ago. This is the stadium where I broke 51 for the first time five years ago. And now itâs the stadium where I broke sub-50 for the first time. It just means so much to me and we should definitely be having more competitions here.â
Nielsenâs journey has been a family affair, shared with her twin sister, Lina. Both having volunteered at London 2012, they are now set to travel to Paris together for the next chapter of their Olympic dreams.
Laviai and Lina Nielsen (Getty)
Laviai secured her spot for her second Olympic Games after a strong performance at the UK Championships in Manchester, finishing second [50.92] in the 400m to Amber Anning. This will be her first individual Olympic race, after finishing fifth in the womenâs 4x400m in Tokyo.
Lina will be making her Olympic debut after narrowly missing out on the Tokyo team as she earned her place with a triumphant first place [54.81] in the 400m hurdles this year in Manchester.
The Nielsen twins have already started this year on a high note at the British Indoor Championships in February, with Laviai taking gold and Lina claiming silver in the 400m.
They continued their success as they captured world indoor bronze in the 4x400m in Glasgow with a British record of 3:26.36. Now, they are poised to take on the world together in Paris.
GB 4x400m womenâs relay (Getty)
âI was really sad last time that I went to the Olympics without her [Lina],â says Laviai. âI really felt that it was something we should have experienced together.
âI was actually in quarantine last time for most of it so I think we will both be going to experience an Olympic championships for the first time, and we will be doing it together.â
The pair have recently returned from Rome, where they competed at the European Championships. However, reaching the start line was a significant challenge for both sisters.
Just a week before the championships, their coach, Tony Lester, suffered a heart attack during training.
âIâm really proud with how Lina and I both executed those championships, they were far from easy for the both of us.
âLooking back now, I am actually surprised I was even able to get round the track because I felt horrible.
âBut I feel much better now and coach has had such an amazing recovery, and he has taught us a lot from his recovery. He couldnât stay away from the track and weâve had a good lead up to the Olympics.â
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Despite the emotional and physical hurdle, Laviai clocked a personal best of 50.73 in the rounds and finished sixth in the final, while Lina achieved a personal best of 54.43 in the 400m hurdles round, finishing seventh overall.
Their entire journey has been documented on their YouTube channel, âThe Nielsen Twins.â They began sharing their athletics journey last year, whilst also opening up about the struggle of living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Lina was first diagnosed with the condition at 17, and Laviai found out she was also affected just two weeks before the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Determined to show that their condition doesnât define or limit them, the sisters started their storytelling process on YouTube last year.
This year, theyâve been uploading a series of videos titled âRoad to Parisâ which follow the pair as they train and compete around the world â with the hopes of qualifying for the Olympics. What started as a dream has now become a reality.
âFinally, we are on that road to Paris and have reached the final straight,â says Laviai. âThere isnât much work left to do now.
âI have high hopes for Paris and I can hopefully expect another PB when I get there. I really want to make that Olympic final.â
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