E:The European Under-18 100m champion talks about her time in Jamaica training alongside the best of the best as she heads to the World Under-20s this month.
Training alongside Johan Blake, the second fastest man ever over 100m and 200m, is something few can claim to have experienced. For Nia Wedderburn-Goodison, however, it became her reality when she was given the chance to join her training group last year.
The 19-year-old jumped at the chance to be trained by world medalist Michael Frater for six weeks in Kingston. Experience has proved beneficial as the Brit clocked a personal best of 11.21 seconds at Lee Valley in June and then competed in the 100m final at the British Athletics Championships, facing a strong line-up of senior athletes to finish sixth.
At just 16, Wedderburn-Goodison became British Under-20s and then European Under-18s in 2022. He now has his sights set on a world under-20 gold medal in Peru this month. 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 happened because of a sports day win in reception. I wasn’t in elementary school yet. Before sports day I told my parents I was the fastest in school and they didn’t believe me. Then they came to sports day and watched me win from quite a distance. From there my older sister and I were taken to a track club and I haven’t stopped since.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison (Mark Shearman)
What was it like running the 11.21 PB this year?
I felt like 11.2 was a long time coming. The first time I ran 11.3 was in 2022, so even then I wanted to run 11.2, but I got injured in the middle of the season and couldn’t reach my full potential. A big goal this season was to break that PB and to see the time 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 it.
What was it like being the only teenager in the British Championship final?
I feel like that’s always the level I’ve wanted to be at. I have been playing sports for 14 years and have watched all the senior girls on TV. I was 15 years old when I first started dreaming about grouping with those athletes, but it wasn’t very realistic at the time, so it was a great feeling to get to 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 entered the competition fourth and came out sixth. I was still proud of myself after the race for being the only young person in the final, but I still feel like I could have gotten more out of the competition.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison (Mark Shearman)
How was your training experience? Jamaica?
The main focus there is athletics. I would have to leave where I was staying at 5:30 in the morning to get to the track and we would train for five hours. Training in Jamaica is a whole other level, I was training alongside the likes of Johan Blake and Brianna Williams and Michael Frater was training me.
My uncle runs the Titans International sprint team in Jamaica and he’s been telling the coaches about me since I was 13. In January of last year I had some time to take six weeks off school and they brought me.
What did you take away from your time in Jamaica?
It showed how hard they work there. People in the UK work hard, but Jamaicans live and breathe it. I took that experience because I was going to work as hard as they did to be able to get to the level the Jamaicans are at. I definitely needed it, I learned a lot.
As seniors, Johan 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 arrangement like now in the UK?
My coach is Ryan Freckleton and he coaches some senior athletes like Nathaniel Mitchell-Blake and Jonah Efoloko. There are seven or eight of us and we train more or less every day, except Sundays. We all push each other, and I get a lot of advice from senior athletes.
Who is your inspiration?
Usain Bolt is the cliche answer, but to me he’s been so consistent. There hasn’t been a year where he has a “down year”. I think the consistency that he had is what I aspire to have in the sport.
I also look up to Dinah Usher-Smith because she has that British record and is putting British sprinting on the map. Daryl Neita and Imani-Lara Lansicotte too, there are so many girls coming up now and I look up to them all.
Nia Wedderburn-Goodison Pips Joey Eze (Mark Shearman)
What is your greatest achievement? date?
It has to be winning two gold medals (100m and sprint) at the European Under-18 Championships because that’s a title you carry with you for life.
That’s what we’ve been working on all year. I have never participated in an international competition before, and my coach and I worked all year for that gold medal.
What are your ultimate goals?
I would like to be an Olympic gold medalist. I’m thinking far ahead, but I definitely want to be a gold medalist in the 100m, 200m and relay. I’m currently building up to being a 200m athlete as it seems too long now.
This year I want to win gold at the U20 World Championships in Peru in August and I think we have a good shot at relay gold as well. I basically want all the 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
