US-based Brit faced a relentless schedule that meant she raced over 40 times before she even got to the Olympics, but it didn’t stop her from breaking the British 400m record and coming home from Paris with two medals
An athlete attempting to peak at the right time requires a careful balancing act of science and art. Convention dictates that they must not risk burning out before the big day.
Of Britain’s five 400m representatives at the Paris Olympics, four had run between eight and 22 times beforehand in the calendar year. The demands placed on American university athletes makes such numerical limitation difficult so Amber Anning, the fifth GB 400m runner, did not have that luxury.
By the time she arrived in the French capital, Anning had already run more than 40 races in 2024, ranging in distance from 4x100m legs to 800m. It made it all the more remarkable that she left with two Olympic bronze medals and part of an elite group (alongside Mary Rand) of British women to break three British records at a single Games. In fact, she now reflects, her stress in Paris did not even compare to running in her University of Arkansas vest two months earlier.
“Honestly, I didn’t even think about the Olympics during my collegiate season,” says Anning, 24. “I mentally split the year up to avoid putting pressure on myself.
“I was actually more nervous for the NCAA [National Collegiate Athletics Association] final than for the Olympics because there was so much pressure on my team to complete that ‘super sweep’ [where Anning was part of an all-Arkansas top four], to win the 4x400m and to break the collegiate record. It felt so intense. By the time the Olympics came around, I felt I had already competed at such a high level.”
For those without personal experience of American collegiate sports, it might seem bizarre to compare a university competition with the undisputed pinnacle of athletics. But, having ensured every aspect of her life – from nutrition to sleep, and food to friendships – would aid her running, Anning was serene about how things would play out in Paris.
Amber Anning (Getty)
Her Olympics were bookended by bronze medals in the mixed and women’s 4x400m. The filling in the relay sandwich was a national record of 49.29 in the individual 400m – bettering the mark set by her mentor, Olympic and double world champion Christine Ohuruogu – which only narrowly missed the podium.
“I was a little disappointed because I knew the part of the race where I let it slip away,” says Anning. “When I saw I’d run a national record I was still frustrated, but you have to take the win. If I couldn’t get a medal, I wanted a national record, so I hit one of my goals. I wanted more, but I’ve set my sights on LA [2028 Olympics]. I know what I need to change in the next four years.”
It was all a far cry from the position she found herself in three summers earlier: the year of the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games. That January, halfway through her second year of studies at Louisiana State University (LSU), Anning’s British-based coach Lloyd Cowan died. “That hit me very hard,” she says.
On the track, the upward trajectory of a Commonwealth Youth and European Under-20 medallist was frustratingly starting to plateau, eventually leading to a move across state boundaries to neighbouring Arkansas.
“I wasn’t really enjoying college athletics,” she admits. “I really struggled and injuries played a part. I was underperforming and I couldn’t understand why because I always trained hard but was inconsistent.
“I went to the Tokyo Olympic trials and came dead last in the final, failing to make the team. Everyone else in that final was chosen except for me, which brought up a lot of emotions.
“To rekindle my love for the sport, I knew I needed a change of environment, a fresh start somewhere new. At LSU, my happiness was so tied to my performances. Losing was something I wasn’t used to, and it affected me a lot mentally.
“Moving to Arkansas, I began to embrace being beaten more. I realised there are faster girls out there, and I wanted to compete with them. It was about upping my game to reach their level because I knew I had the talent to do it.
Amber Anning (Getty)
“I was the only 400m woman at LSU, and I needed more female training partners. I knew Arkansas had a strong cohort of 400m runners, which was the step I needed to push my times down.
“As much as I loved LSU, it was a big school, and I found it hard to stay focused with so much going on. Arkansas is quieter, and I needed to change my environment to stop the partying!”
After graduating from her public relations and advertising degree in the summer, she is now back in Fayetteville for the first time as a fully-fledged, Nike-sponsored professional. While her training group has changed – she now works alongside fellow Olympians and professionals Shamier Little, Nickisha Pryce and Shafiqua Maloney – the day-to-day structure remains the same under her collegiate coach Chris Johnson. The end of student life also means no longer having to represent her university week-in, week-out.
Amber Anning (Sadie Rucker/Arkansas Athletics)
“It’s going to be an adjustment,” says Anning. “Patience will be key since I won’t be racing as much, meaning there will be fewer opportunities to accomplish what I need to do. But every step is a building block toward my Tokyo [World Championships] goal next year.”
Anning is busying herself learning to drive, and plans to fill her newfound free time reading and following fellow Olympian Tom Daley into the world of crochet: “It will be nice to come home from training without worrying about a 10pm assignment.”
On the track, she may well try some more 200m races this winter after earlier this year breaking Katharine Merry’s national indoor 200m record that had stood since before Anning was born. An individual 400m medal at September’s World Championships is the main aim, and she believes remaining on the other side of the Atlantic is the best way to achieve it.
Amber Anning (Arkansas)
“Before I came to America, my plan was to return to Lloyd after my degree, but with his death, and the success I’ve experienced under Coach Johnson, it doesn’t make sense to change my environment,” she explains.
“I came here for a reason. I’ve achieved so much, and there’s still so much more to accomplish. If I could have this Arkansas facility in the UK, along with some nice weather, I would have never left, as there’s so much about British culture that I miss. I also wish I could see my family and friends more often. But I’m happy to be back here.”
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