Herne Hill Harriers’ Kristal Awuah looks a racing cert to be a sprint star

By YANN TEAR
yann@slpmedia.co.uk

It looks a racing certainty that a golden future awaits sprinter Kristal Awuah, after her exploits in the recent indoor European Championships underlined her credentials as a star in the making.

The 19-year-old Herne Hill Harriers athlete left Glasgow without a medal, after finishing fourth in the 60m, but achieved a personal best that left her, and those watching, convinced that there is much more to come.

Now she has her sights on the World Championships in Qatar in September and next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.

“PB 7.15 feeling so proud!” tweeted the Streatham runner, alongside a clapping hand emoji after the Indoors. “I will take so much from @Glasgow2019. Thank you to my coach Matthew Thomas and to everyone out there for showing me so much love and support.”

The British Ahletics supporters group has recognised her efforts with an award that she will receive at a special dinner. They tweeted: “Congratulations @Kristal Awuah. Breakthrough athlete (female) award for her 60m performance, coming fourth in a senior international championships.”

A few weeks on and there is still the afterglow of pride and belief in the direction she is taking.

“It was all part of the learning curve for me and has made me train even harder,” she told South London Press. “It’s also given me confidence, knowing what to expect in future and feeling I can handle the pressure of competition well.

“I’m not scared of competing against women older than me because I stay focused on executing a plan and know what I’m capable of. I’m proud of how far I’ve come in a short space of time, but it’s all down to applying myself to the very structured training programme Matt puts me through.

“The Olympics is where I want to be, but I want medals too and want to raise my game to get them. I want to stay mentally strong and be the best I can be.”

Perhaps the quantum-leap in success and attention is not such a surprise, given the superb final year she had as a junior. She ran the 100m in 11.16 to put her second on the all-time juniors list behind Dina Asher-Smith and won SportsAid’s prestigious ‘One to Watch’ award.

SportsAid’s One-to-Watch Award was launched in 2006 with double Olympic medallist and diving world champion Tom Daley the inaugural winner.

Thomas believes she would have set a new record too, had she not prematurely raised her arm in celebration in the final strides.

“It’s a bit annoying,” Awuah said. “I probably would have got a faster time if I hadn’t celebrated before the line. But I learnt a lot from that.”

She has the European U23 Championships to look forward to in Sweden in July, having bagged double bronze in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland last year.

In an indoor event in Berlin ahead of Glasgow, she set a PB of 7.19 in winning a 60m race.

She had her first taste of a big outdoor arena in last summer’s IAAF Diamond League Anniversary Games at Olympic Park, clocking 11.39 in her heat – an experience that will also stand her in great stead.

“Being at the Anniversary Games was overwhelming and there were little bits I need to fix in my race that came through making mistakes there,” she said.

“I think my biggest challenge will be trying to get into the Worlds team [in Qatar]. I’m confident in what I do and I don’t really let mistakes get to me or bring me down.”

Her coach said: “She’s been on the rise for two years and has what it takes to become a household name.

“In 2017, she got her PB down from 12.08 to 11.16, which is a massive jump. She’s been quick to learn the fundamentals of sprinting and how to compete.

“Last year, she was competing at an even higher level, understanding more about recovery between training sessions and races and picking the right races that will bring out the best in her.

“She’s got used to winning in all her age group races and it has become a good habit going into senior races. They key for her will be to stay focused and healthy but also to enjoy what she is doing. She has all the key attributes to be successful and win on a global scale.”

British Athletics is already convinced. They have just selected her for the World relays in Japan, which take place in May, so she has a stack of targets coming up in which to measure her progress – and maybe land those medals she craves above all else.

It promises to be a fascinating summer for her.