We meet a young athlete from a family of top-class sprinters whos forging her own path

Renee Regis comes from a particularly high British athletics pedigree so it is perhaps no surprise that she is one of the countrys rising sprinting stars. 

The daughter of John Regis (a multiple global medal winner and former British 200m record-holder) and Jenny Stoute (two-time Olympian and Olympic 4x400m bronze medallist) she is now making a name for herself on her own merits, winning major age groups medals, including individual 100m bronze and 4x100m gold at last years European Under-18 Champs in Jerusalem.

Having overcome injury woes in her younger years, the Londoner is now training hard to chase the Olympic dream. We caught up with her to hear all about her journey so far and what the future has in store.

Probably a silly question but Im guessing you got into running initially because of your mum
and dad?

Kind of. Ive always been around athletics because of them as they are agents now and also because of their past careers in athletics, but I actually started because my sister was doing it and at the time I was playing loads of different sports so I just decided to give athletics a try, too.

Did you ever feel pressured to follow in their footsteps? Does it add that extra motivation or pressure to succeed?

Ive never felt pressured by them as they never actually forced me into doing athletics so the fact I had a choice to do whatever sport I liked meant that I had the freedom to just enjoy it and compete. It means I have my own drive and motivation to succeed so I dont feel like I have to please anyone. I just do it because I love it and want to do well.

Is it something that comes up at the dinner table or do you tell them theyre past it now and its your time to shine?

Sometimes, ha ha! To be honest, I dont really talk about my races with my mum or dad but as they are my parents I think: Oh they dont know what they are talking about but in reality they have been in my position countless number of times. Sometimes I do listen to their advice, especially when I am at a major competition for example.

How competitive would it get if you ever had a family race? Did your mum and dad ever run at your school sports day parent races?

I remember when I was younger, I would race my parents and they would never let me win! My family is full of competitiveness so anything we do we can turn into a competition. I think when I was at nursery my mum did a parent race at sports day but, since she retired, shes hung up her spikes forever. 

Can you remember the first time you fell in love with running and knew you wanted to follow it as a dream?

I dont know if there was a specific moment where it clicked but I was in year 10 when I began to take running seriously. I started to get this unexplainable feeling. The feeling of competing or even doing a good run in training is indescribable. But what also made me realise I really wanted to pursue it was that I realised I was getting good at it so that gave me an extra push to take it seriously.

Who and what inspires you?

Two athletes that inspire me are Shelly-Ann [Fraser-Pryce] and Gabby Thomas. Shelly-Ann is who I aspire to be when I grow up. Its the way she holds herself on and off track, her technique and her drive to succeed.

Everyone doubted her when she had a kid and thought she couldnt return to her old self, but she did and ran 10.67 at the World Champs last year. If I could do that after having a kid, I would actually never retire. Gabby is one of the most underrated athletes as she had an injury so close to the World Champs which meant she wasnt able to compete but her dedication and drive are bringing her the success she is having now. 

What would you say has been the hardest thing youve had to overcome so far in your career?

My injuries. Especially my hamstring tear after Euros U18. I was on crutches for a while and the rehab was very tedious. Then, when I began running again, I pulled it again a month before the start of the indoor season. It was scary as I didnt know if I could make it back in time and I was worried that my other hamstring would then overcompensate and Id run the risk of pulling that one, too. It instilled a new fear in me as I was scared to run again. Nevertheless, I went back to rehab and did everything I could and, fortunately, it worked. 

READ MORE: 2023 European U20 Champs preview

If you didnt pursue a career in athletics what would you want
to do?

If I didnt do athletics, I would pursue a career in netball. Before I took athletics seriously, I played netball all the time at school and was thinking about joining a club. Fortunately I started to realise I was good at athletics and stuck with it. Either way I think I would always want a career in sports.

Whats the ultimate dream?

My ultimate dream is to go to the Olympics and be a three-time gold medallist in the relay, 100m and 200m. I want to win a medal at every major champs and be number one in the world. Thats the ultimate dream. 

Renee Regis
Age: 17
Events: 100m and 200m
PBs: 11.39/1.9 (11.20/2.6) and 23.59/0.7
Coach: Tamunonengiye-Ofori Ossai
Club: BFT Track Academy