Written by Carmen Neat, edited by Ashleigh Spiliopoulou and Melanie Anning

Just before the Paris 2024 Olympics kicked off, I sat down with British 400m star Amber Anning and had a fascinating conversation about her athletics journey and the crucial role funding plays for young athletes when they are at their most vulnerable in the sport. Since then, Amber has broken the British 400m record and returned from Paris two Olympic Bronze medals.

Our conversation began by unravelling where Amber’s passion for athletics started – surprisingly, halfway across the globe in Australia. She recalls dominating sports day at school aged five, beating all the girls in her year, as well as those in the year above. Just for fun, she even raced the boys: “I won against them as well, so I feel like that was a big stepping stone for me.”

At this point, her parents realised her potential and got her involved in a variety of sports. Fast forward a few years and a flight back to England, Amber joined her first athletics club at the age of nine, where, like most young athletes, she tried every event. She remembers this period as freeing and fun: “I didn’t know anybody and didn’t have any aspirations, but I was young and doing it for the joy.” At first, Amber felt no pressure or expectation, but that soon changed as she became known as ‘good.’ She quickly had to embrace the art of ‘being comfortable with being uncomfortable’ in training to push beyond her natural talent—a challenge she hadn’t considered before, she confessed. Amber became a standout junior athlete as she progressed, collecting numerous national titles, earning junior GB vests, and breaking British age group records including the under-15 300m record, held by her hero Dina Asher-Smith, and the 49-year-old under-20 indoor 400m record of Marilyn Neufville. Despite her early achievements, it bares no surprise that Amber quickly began feeling the pressure and less innate enjoyment in training. “It became more of a conscious effort to find purpose in training rather than experiencing joy as I did as a child”. We discussed how young athletes, who haven’t yet learned to handle this pressure, are especially vulnerable to falling out of love with the sport and this is when financial and emotional support is most critical. Granted, there will always be mental pressure, but if some of the financial pressure is alleviated, it can be vital to keeping younger athletes in the sport, particularly those aged 15-23 who are at school or university. Amber was quick to acknowledge how fortunate she was to have had a strong support network that enabled her to push through this challenging stage. She added:

‘There are so many of my friends or people I know who should be where I am right now, or on that trajectory. But, the lack of support or funding has prohibited them from continuing which is really sad because in sport you do need the funding – it is hard to do this by yourself’

The reality is, without enough support during the key junior and university years, some of our most promising athletes may never reach their potential – we might miss out on some of our future Asher-Smiths, Ennis-Hills or Annings.

Talking financially, Amber credits her family, RPMF, and other charities for providing the financial support to pursue her dreams. Athletics, despite assumptions, isn’t cheap. “Track is so expensive!” she voiced. She added;

“From travelling to accessing physio and other therapies regularly, the funds played a massive part. Even having good enough blocks that aren’t run down, it’s these little things that all add up and make a difference”.

Without access to these resources – the one per cents – the chance of success decreases, which is why initiatives like RPMF are so important to help bridge these gaps. The support of RPMF grants enabled Amber to experience some of her greatest junior athletics memories. One of Amber’s favourite memories as a junior was a trip to Geneva, made possible by an RPMF grant: “It was a beautiful stadium, and I really enjoyed being there because it was one of my first overseas trips on my own, rather than with a team – it was a real learning curve.” It is also particularly special as she shared it with her late coach, Lloyd Cowan. His conviction that no athlete with potential should be held back due to a lack of financial support is now at the heart of the Lloyd Cowan Bursary. Amber’s mother was one of the founding trustees of the Lloyd Cowan Bursary, set up in 2021, after his unexpected death, to continue his legacy by providing resources to help athletes who lack financial support stay in the sport.

This year, RPMF and the Lloyd Cowan Bursary have joined forces to boost support for young athletes and coaches. By combining fundraising efforts at the TCS London Marathon and streamlining grant applications, they hope to ensure that funds reach those most in need. At 18, Amber was offered a track and field scholarship in the USA and left for Louisiana State University (LSU) the week she received her A-Level results. Three years later, she transferred to the University of Arkansas, where she graduated last summer. Now a professional athlete training in the USA, Amber reflected fondly on her time in Arkansas, saying it helped her rediscover her passion for the sport. It is often talked about how moving to the US can make or break for an athlete but for Amber, it has allowed her to truly fall back in love with the sport; “It’s honestly been a dream come true,” she shared. “Even though Lloyd’s not with me, I have a coach [Chris Johnson] who believes in me the same way he did, and I’m still honouring Lloyd’s name.” Prior to Paris, I asked her about the possibility of breaking the long-standing 400m British Record held by her mentor, Christine Ohuruogu. Amber was confident: “Definitely. I’m focused on execution and being competitive, and the fast times will come from there. It will take focus and faith that I can do it, and that I’m good enough to be on this level.” Her belief was well-founded. Amber smashed the British 400m record of 49.41 seconds in the Olympic semis with a time of 49.29s, and took home two bronze medals in the mixed 4x400m and women’s 4x400m. This is just the beginning, she hinted:

‘I’d love to be the first British woman to run a 48-second 400’

After all, Amber has already shown that her words have power. In closing, my conversation with Amber stands as a profound reminder of the delicate balance between joy and pressure that young athletes face. From her early days of beating boys at sports day to her record-breaking performances at the Olympics, her story highlights the importance of support systems, both financial and emotional, in nurturing talent. The impact of organisations like RPMF and mentors like Lloyd Cowan illustrates how vital it is to provide the resources athletes need to thrive, especially during the transition from junior to senior competition when they are at their most vulnerable.

With partnerships like RPMF and the Lloyd Cowan Bursary, the potential British athletes and future champions is certainly promising. But, it must ensure that no promising talent is lost to the financial pressures of the sport.

Cover photo: Ashley Landis (PA Images)