Amber Anning

Anning was born in London, England and spent her early years in Hove and Australia. She attended Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form College.[1] In 2020, Anning began studying at Louisiana State University on a scholarship. In 2022 she transferred to the University of Arkansas where she is studying for a degree in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Psychology.[2]

Anning has competed for Brighton & Hove Athletics Clubs since she was nine years old.[3] From the age of 16 until his unexpected death in 2021 she was coached by Lloyd Cowan.[1][2] Anning broke the British under-15 300 metres record and was the first, and to date, the only British under-15 to run sub 39 seconds. The U15 record was previously held by Dina Asher-Smith.[2] At the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, Anning finished third in the 400 metres event and was part of the British team that finished second in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay. She missed the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships due to injury.[4]

Aged 17, Anning won a bronze medal over 200m at the British Indoor Championships. A year later, at 18, she came second over 400m at the British Indoor Championships, breaking the nearly 50-year-old British U20 Indoor record of Marilyn Neufville. With this she auto-qualified for the individual 400m and the British relay squad, which won the silver medal in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[2] In the same year, Anning also finished second in the 400 metres event at the 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships, and anchored the British team to victory in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay competition at the championships.[2]

In 2020, Anning started competing in college athletics for LSU Tigers,[5] where she was coached by Dennis Shaver.[2] In August 2022, she transferred to Arkansas Razorbacks.[5] to work with Coach Chris Johnson. Anning has received six All-America team honours and multiple Academic All-America honours.[1] At the 2023 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, she was part of the Arkansas relay team that set the fastest women's indoor 4 × 400 metres relay time in history of 3:21.75. Anning's time on the first leg was the fifth fastest ever.[5]

Anning was a key member of the British team that finished third in the women's 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. It was her first senior World Championships, and she ran the second leg of the race splitting 49.70 seconds in the heat and 49.82 seconds in the final.[3]

• Amber Anning at World Athletics