The city of Liverpool is home to many talented, successful, and remarkable individuals, including politicians, businesspeople, show business stars, scientists, academics, and more. Today, we’re going to talk about a well-known British athlete who was born in Liverpool: Anyika Onuora. You can find out more about her life and achievements on the iliverpool.info website.
The start of her sporting career
The future athlete was born in Liverpool in 1984 to Nigerian parents. Anyika has two brothers who also found great success: Ifeanyi, a professional footballer who played for a number of teams, and Emeka, a renowned scientist.
The Liverpudlian began her athletics career while still in college and made her international debut in 2003. It was a successful start, as Anyika finished fifth in the 100-metre sprint and secured a silver medal in the 4×100-metre relay.
In 2006, she competed in her first senior competition, once again winning silver at the Commonwealth Games. She earned another silver medal that same year at the European Athletics Championships. In 2006, she also competed at the World Championships, where she finished last.
Career highlights
The athlete’s career continued to develop quickly. In 2008, she represented Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics, though she didn’t get to compete as she was a reserve for the team.
Just a year later, she won the women’s event in a 150-metre street race.
In 2014, Anyika was one of the athletes who set a British record in the 4×100-metre relay at the Diamond League in Zurich. Two years later, she and her teammates secured a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
Fewer people know that ten months before the Rio Olympics, Anyika contracted malaria. Her teammates were largely unaware of her condition, and for a while, she couldn’t even walk. Only her family and closest friends knew the full extent of her illness, as it could have been fatal. She caught the disease while visiting her late father’s village in Nigeria.
Despite everything, Anyika Onuora overcame the illness and still qualified for the Olympics. She was hesitant to talk about the experience for a long time because she doesn’t like to be pitied or receive sympathy.
It’s worth noting that malaria is a serious infectious disease. The infection is usually transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Malaria is widespread in tropical countries, especially in rural areas, where it can be epidemic. The main symptoms of malaria include high fever, headaches, weakness, chills, nausea, and fatigue. As mentioned, the disease is extremely dangerous and is treated with specific antimalarial drugs.
Athletics is an Olympic sport that combines running, jumping, race walking, and throwing events. It’s one of the oldest sports, with historical evidence suggesting it was practised by people in Asia and Africa. The sport truly began to develop in Ancient Greece.
Anyika Onuora is a celebrated British athlete who showed strong results throughout her career and holds a distinguished place among the country’s best athletes.
We hope you found this article insightful and learned more about this well-known Liverpudlian. What do you think of athletics? Is it a sport you enjoy? Share your comments on social media.