A Willesden student has won gold at the 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison took home the medal in the 100m event in early July.
Since then, the 17-year-old has also made it to the semi-finals at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Columbia earlier this month.
Nia said of her win in Jerusalem: “It was my first international competition and it was really good. Actually winning an individual medal made me feel like all of the hard work I put in finally proved to be worth it.”
The success came after the young athlete battled her first injury earlier this year having torn her hamstring in January.
Nia started running as a hobby aged five after beating all the other girls and boys in a running competition at her primary school.
Aged 13 she began training for national competitions and now trains five times a week – with the same coach she has had since she was five.
She said: “I really trust him. I think that’s the most important thing with a coach, because if you can’t trust your coach, then you might not listen to what they tell you to do in training and how to prepare for competitions.”
Nia’s favourite event is the 100m and she especially loves the “adrenaline” of the sport.
She said: “I’ve always really liked individual sports because I’m responsible for my performance. I feel like the competition of being in an individual sport is really exciting and the stakes are usually high.”
Her parents have been supportive throughout and according to Nia “have not missed a competition from me ever.”
Nia will be starting Year 13 at Capital City Academy, Willesden, in September.
Alongside working towards her A Levels in English, media and sport she hopes to qualify for the European Athletics U20 Championships.
Capital City Academy principal Marianne Jeanes said: “We are so proud of Nia’s success at the World Athletics Championship this summer.
“Since starting with us in Year 7, Nia has shown true determination in both her academic studies and her training.
“She is a really credit to Capital City Academy and we are all incredibly proud of her and her success.”
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