Anyika 37, is a retired British
sprint track and field athlete who competed in the
100 metres,
200 metres and 400 metres, and also the 4×100 metres relay and 4x400 metres relay.
Anyika is one of the few GB athletes of the past 20 years to achieve a full set of major medals.She has won medals at the Olympic Games, the world championships, Commonwealth Games and European championships.
Anyika has published a book about her life called - My Hidden Race.
“My Hidden Race is the story of Olympic medallist Anyika Onuora, who stood on the podium at every major championship in athletics.
This book won't go into detail about the technicalities of her sport or the beauty of the Olympic spirit however.
In the era of the Black Lives Matter and Me Too, this is an unflinching testimony of what it takes to pursue your dreams as a Black British woman against all odds.
This three-time Olympian will lift the lid on the reality of life as a black female athlete in Britain in a way that nobody else has done before her.
Nothing is off the record. She is revealing her life for the first time in this book with complete fearlessness.
There have been far too many years of silence caught in a system. Now Anyika is determined to make up for lost time and use her story to inspire and heal others.
My Hidden Race will take you into a world that often takes place far from the spotlight of the Olympic torch and shines an intense light on the brutal reality of professional sport for many black females.”
Listen to Anyika on the Tough Girl Podcast, new episodes go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out.
Show Notes
- Who is Anyika and what she’s achieved
- Working as a consultant and sharing more about her new book
- Living between Liverpool and London
- Her childhood and early years
- Growing up in a sporty, competitive family
- Being inspired by her older brother
- Realising that she was good at running
- Her dreams and ambitions as a little girl
- The dream of becoming a professional athlete
- Being shy and ambitious
- How you progress to the professional level in athletics
- Getting a degree while also competing as a full time athlete
- Any regrets over missing out
- Working hard for everything she has
- Getting to the senior level and being consistent in performance
- Competing at her first senior championships in Melbourne, Australia
- Learning from her peers
- The lessons learned from failure
- Mental health and support and how it’s changed over the past 17/20 years
- The lack of support to help with changes and transitions
- Feeling disposable as an athlete
- The pressure to perform and to be consistent
- How expectations can weigh you down
- Blocking out the pressure and working with a psychologist
- Smiling and laughing to release the pressure
- Getting into flow and what it’s like
- The struggles 10 months before the Olympic games in Rio
- Contracting malaria and ending up in hospital
- Getting back to full fitness and getting ready for the Olympics
- Focusing on getting the job done
- What it was like winning a Bronze Medal in the 4x400m
- Fitness and sport now
- Making the transition to the next stage of her career
- Figuring out what’s next
- Getting qualified in Corporate Governance
- Role models and the women who have inspired Anyika
- Advice for women and girls who want to get into running
- Figuring out your why
- Remembering to have fun
- Looking after her Olympic Medal
- The shrine!
- Book: My Hidden Race
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