British-Nigerian teen sprint sensation chases Olympic dream

At just 13, Annabelle Fasuba is already turning heads on the track, and not just because of her lightning pace. The British-born Nigerian sprinter is clocking times that haven’t been seen in her age group in over three decades, drawing admiration from coaches, family, and athletics fans alike.

“She’s 13, just about to turn 14, so those times at that age are phenomenal,” says Neal Edwards, her coach in Plymouth, where she lives and trains.

Annabelle recently ran a blistering 200m in 24.02 seconds — the fastest time by a British girl under 15 since 1989. Only Olympic 400m bronze medallist Katharine Merry and Diane Smith have ever run faster in that age group. Her 100m personal best of 11.79 seconds also places her among the top five fastest under-15 girls in British history.

Even more remarkable? She’s only been training seriously for just over a year. “We haven’t done any really hard training, we haven’t pushed her… it’s just been about technique,” Edwards explains.

But Annabelle’s speed may also be written in her DNA. Her father, Olusoji Fasuba, was once Africa’s fastest man, holding a 100m record of 9.85 seconds until 2021. He’s an Olympic bronze medallist, World Indoor champion, and Commonwealth Games silver medallist. Her mother, Ngozi, also competed at the highest level, running the 4x400m relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

“My husband was good, I was good… Annabelle being fast is not a surprise,” says Ngozi. “She took it from us.”

Olusoji, who now serves in the Royal Navy, beams with pride. “Looking at her training and what she’s doing at 12 or 13, I think she’s braver than me. I believe she’s going to achieve more than I ever did.”

For Annabelle, the dream is clear. “I’m hoping to go to the Olympics to run the 100m and 200m — and hopefully win them.”

With her younger sister already smashing school records and eyeing her own place on the track, the Fasuba family might just become a relay team for the ages.

— BBC