‘AA’ wanting to make all of the sacrifices worth it
WITH his big frame and an even bigger smile, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is a recognisable figure wherever he goes, but nowhere more so than on campus at Loughborough University.
Having lived in the East Midlands for the last 10 years, the 100m man knows the place like the back of his hand, but likes to keep things simple.
“I live two miles away from the track, so it takes me about six minutes to get here, which gives me more time to rest, more time to plan my day, more time to cook and more time to be a professional athlete.”
In the world of elite sport it’s the tiny margins that make the difference, especially when it comes to the 100m, where one hundredth of a second can be the difference between gold and silver. Harry AA, as he is known, is no stranger to that.
“As a junior I went into every championship just wanting to do the best I could do and that worked out pretty well winning the World Youth and World Junior titles over 100m and 200m, and being crowned BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.”
Fast forward 12 months and the big man was now plying his trade as a student-athlete in Loughborough.
“I was a bit nervous when I first set foot here but I certainly enjoyed it. It worked, as I came here, ran PBs and made the Olympic squad. Since 2012 so much has changed though – technological advances, training practices, equipment – I’m very fortunate to still be here and it’s hard to get away if I’m honest! It’s pretty much the best place you could possibly train.” So what about his Commonwealth Games experiences? “At Glasgow 2014 they were playing ‘500 miles’, it was raining and we ran a storming relay. It was just picturesque and I remember we got Danny Talbot the baton just ahead of Usain Bolt on the final leg but you know, it’s Usain Bolt! To get silver in that environment was great for us, but we’ll go for gold this time.”
“Of course we all want to be Olympic champion, break world records and be the best that we can be, but what you come to realise is not a lot of people celebrate success and we should celebrate success more.
“You only have a short career so you’ve just got to enjoy each moment. In Loughborough I think people do celebrate success and enjoy it and that’s another reason I like being here. Any milestone is something that should be celebrated, whether it be a personal goal, a national record, an individual medal or a team medal; they all should be celebrated and I think Loughborough is really good at doing that.”
So then, what would success at Gold Coast 2018 look like?
“I want to win two medals. I want to execute my race like I know I can in the 100m and then contribute to the 4x100m relay as best as I can – we’ve got to go for gold.”