Sprint star Quainoo targeting place in British sporting history

Abraham Smith

The 19-year-old has long excelled as a junior, winning double gold at the Junior British Championships in 2022 and also taking bronze in the 200m in the senior event.

As a teenager, Quainoo, who grew up in Ladbroke Grove, trained at Linford Christie Stadium, named after the man who came from that track, to become Olympic and world champions.

Quianoo doesn’t set any specific medals or placement targets, but after a season that also included competing at the U20 World Championships in Athletics, there is optimism about becoming a sprint giant himself.

“I’m someone who doesn’t like to say, ‘I want to do this, I want to do that,’ because when I do that, I mentally limit myself and also I don’t find myself or am not true to myself.” said Quainoo, who is funded through a partnership between SportsAid and MBC.

“I can see myself as one of the greatest athletes to come out of Britain and I will just keep making my mark and keep growing.

“Anyone can do anything so I want to continue what I do, have a good training environment, just stay fit and healthy – when I have all those things I feel like it just comes naturally.

“I definitely feel like I can be one of the greatest sprinters from the UK, but in terms of what I want to run, what I want to do, we’ll just never know. I definitely want to be one of the greatest in the country.”

SportsAid Week 2023 is here, with the annual promotion launched in 2016 from Monday 6th March to Sunday 12th March.

This year’s theme focuses on “Accessibility and Inclusion” as the charity puts the spotlight on the country’s most talented young athletes and celebrates the incredible work being done by its partners to support the future of British sport.

Quainoo’s experience at the U20 Championships in Cali was eye-opening, finishing seventh in the 200m final with a time of 20.73 seconds.

In a race that saw Gold medalist Blessing Afrifah and Silver medalist Letsile Tebogo both break the magic 20-second barrier in the fastest race in event history, Quainoo is more aware than ever of the hard work required.

“Seventh in the world isn’t bad, but when you’re going up against athletes who have created one of the fastest U20 races in history, it really shows that if you want to be among the best, there’s a lot of work to be done. It was more or less like a wake-up call for me,” added Quainoo, who is supported by SportsAid and commercial partner MBC.

“It was a really good experience to be traveling with the best in the world – I’ve never been to a gathering of this caliber. Being there, competing against the best in the world and racing in this professional environment, you always want to look forward to those moments and you never realize those moments will come so quickly.

“I really enjoyed the experience and it was something I really needed to know where I stand in relation to the world.”

SportsAid Week 2023 will take place from Monday, March 6th to Sunday, March 12th! Join us for an engaging week of fun and awareness-raising around the topic of accessibility and inclusion. Please visit www.sportsaid.org.uk

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