Anna Smith★ Platinum

My Athletics Journey. My name is Anna Smith and I have always had a keen interest in sport; primarily netball and running. I competed in both sports at school level for a number of years, as well as taking on weekly park runs and junior park runs too. When I decided to take PE as a GCSE option, I realised that I really needed to strengthen my running abilities and decided to join a local club. Little did I know where it would take me! My first official Cross Country season, which was 24/25, unfortunately had a bit of a set back due to an injury quite early on. However, this gave me the grit and determination to keep myself strong and focussed, getting myself back on form and ready to finish the season. Despite this, I placed 19th in the U15G category, which gave me the motivation to keep training and pushing myself. Following that, the 2025 track season was a huge success, competing in 300m, 800m, 1500m (and even long jump!) for my club, SS Athletics, in the Eastern Youth Athletes League, helping to secure 2nd place in the region. Next came the 25/26 Cross Country season, now having to compete in the U17W category and racing a distance of 6km. I managed to get through my second season uninjured, finishing 4th in the league, narrowly missing out on 3rd - a huge jump from the previous season! This just goes to show how far my training has taken me and how hard I’ve worked to improve at my sport. My ambition is to continue running, improving my times and to be a role model for other female athletes. I know there will be challenges along the way, but my past experiences have shown me just what hard work and dedication can achieve.