Team Great Britain U20’s athlete James Arminio only started track two years ago and has had a lot of success already, “I started not too long ago, it’s all happened really quickly.
“So, to go from just representing Gloucester at the local track meets to go from that to Germany and Oregon for GB is such an incredible feeling”
Earlier this year, the 19-year-old attended the Loughborough international as a guest, picking up two personal bests, and two weeks later Arminio received a phone call, “there was an unknown number and I had no idea who it was, but I decided to pick it up.
“It was team GB selector, Sharon, and she said ‘Hi James, you’ve been selected to represent Great Britain in Germany’ and honestly, I really wasn’t expecting it”
Arminio has only been competing for team GB for six months and has already picked up a silver medal and beaten a European record that has been held for 26 years.
He recalled the moment they broke the record explaining, “It was incredible because in the relay I was the anchor, so I got to cross the line and bring it home for us.
“Which is such an incredible feeling because you’re running down that back straight and everyone in the crowd is cheering you on!”
The sprinter shared his idol is Usain Bolt, “We have a similar build and it’s nice to be able to compare my running mechanics to Usain Bolt, because a lot of people can’t.”
Arminio added that his biggest motivation is “My coach, Justin at Gloucester, he’s always in my corner, cheering me on in training and pushing me further.
“I think having a nice coach in your corner, supporting you, is my best source of motivation.”
Two years ago, Arminio competed for his school in an athletics competition, “With my school we had athletics competitions in the summer and being from football I had that kind of natural speed, so they decided to put me in a competition.”
Having previously only played football, the school knew about Arminio’s speed and decided to put him into the competition, “I did quite well and a coach picked me up and I started training about a week after, three times a week and it’s been the same since.”
The sprinter explained how he prepares for big races and leading up to competitions, “Physically there was a big focus this season on actually working smarter rather than harder. So having a lot of rest before races is actually better than working really hard up until the race.
“And mentally, its all about having time to yourself and being able to go outside and enjoy being with your friends, doing the things you enjoy.”
The 19-year-old shared his advice for anyone starting out on track, “Doing less is more, you need to get into a good training routine because otherwise you can easily get lost in it and burn out”
