Lyla Belshaw, European U18 1500m champion, has eyes on LA 2028

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The 16-year-old British middle-distance runner impressed this summer with gold in Slovakia but she would love to make her mark at the Olympics

While the world’s top athletes were celebrating their successes at the Paris Olympics, Lyla Belshaw was revelling in her own triumph after dominating at the European Under-18 Championships in Slovakia.

The 16-year-old ran a championship record time of 4:13.01 in the 1500m to claim gold thanks to a powerful kick in the final 100m, with team-mate Isla McGowan completing a British one-two with silver. This adds to Belshaw’s growing list of accomplishments, which include winning the 2023 Mini London Marathon and earning a 1500m bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games later that year.

Her 1500m PB of 4:12.19 in May puts her first on the UK under-17 rankings for this year (and she has also run 2:02.93 for 800m), but the Colchester Harriers athlete is not only making waves on the track – she is excelling in the pool as well. What sets her apart is her unique training regimen as she spends more time swimming than she does running.

Inspired by watching her friend, 17-year-old Phoebe Gill, compete in the 800m Olympic semi-finals, Belshaw has her sights set on making it to Los Angeles 2028.

How did you first get into athletics?

I started running at my primary school and I did a couple of cross country races. I did a national ISA [Independent Schools Association] competition and after that I decided I wanted to start doing it properly when I was in Year Six. I joined a club, Colchester Harriers, where I am now and I’ve taken it from there.

I was definitely always better at the longer stuff in primary school, rather than the sprints, so I knew I always wanted to do longer stuff. I always thought I would keep going up in distance but I’ve ended up sticking with the 800m and 1500m because I much prefer it.

How did you feel during that European Under-18 Championships final?

We got taken off the start line three times and, usually, that would have shaken me up. But it settled me because I had some time to think through the race, the worst bit about it was I was getting really warm.

When we started I didn’t get into the best position on the first lap. Previously, I have messed up races by losing a good position and wasting energy to sprint back but this time I stayed relaxed and worked back slowly to where I wanted to be. We definitely picked it up on the last lap and I stayed behind the leader until 100m to go because I knew I had a good last 100m in me, which I haven’t executed before.

How significant was that win for you?

I definitely wanted to win and I sat down with my coach and said that was my target. But anything could happen on the day and the Norwegian girl [Wilma Bekkemoen Torbiornss] was ranked faster than me on paper. I knew I wanted to give it my best go and it didn’t feel real when I crossed the line. It was really nice to share a podium with Isla, too. I was really proud of us both and it made all the hard work worth it.

What does an average week of training look like for you?

I do a lot of swimming and I swim at a club about three or four times a week. A couple of years ago I would mostly swim and do maybe one or two runs a week but now it is more like two to three runs a week.

I find swimming really good for not putting any pressure on your joints and the sessions are hard – it definitely isn’t a light swim. At the moment I use it instead of a long run and I really enjoy it.

READ MORE: Gold rush for Brits at Euro U18 Champs

I usually swim on a Monday night and run at the track on Tuesdays. I swim every Wednesday morning at 5:30am, then I spend Thursday evening at the track and I go back to swimming on Friday morning with some strength and conditioning. I usually rest for one day at the weekend and swim on the other.

What moments from Paris 2024 did you find inspiring?

Definitely Keely Hodgkinson in the 800m. It was really cool to watch a female middle distance runner get a gold medal for Great Britain. I also watched the women’s 1500m and it was really cool to see Georgia Bell go for it, even though she wasn’t ranked one of the fastest in the race. I used to really struggle with having enough confidence to just go for it like she did, so that was really inspiring.

Do you prefer 800m or 1500m?

At the moment I prefer the 1500m but I do really like the 800m, too. I love going really fast and it being over quickly. However, I’m not a fan of anything longer than 1500m at all. I hate cross countries so much, I will maybe do one or two this year but if I don’t enjoy them I am not going to do as well, so I would rather stick with the 1500m and 800m.

What are the next steps for you?

In the long term, to compete at the LA Olympics 2028 would be really cool but I’ll just have to wait and see. Watching Keely in Paris and my friend Phoebe makes it seem a lot more possible than it did a while ago. I met Phoebe at the Youth Commonwealth Games last year and it was great to see her do really well in Paris.

What would your message to younger Lyla be?

I used to get so nervous at the start so it would be to remind myself that I can do it, there will always be a bigger race.

» This article first appeared in the September issue of AW magazine. Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here

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