With almost every sporting event comes a new fan favourite. This year’s Wimbledon saw the rise of Jasmine Paolini, who reached the finals but was defeated by Czech star Barbora Krejcikova; Alex Greenwood won over the nation at the 2023 Women’s World Cup after she played on in the final with a bandaged bloody forehead; Marlie Packer was crowned World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2023 following a world-leading 11 international tries that year. So, who’s everyone rooting for at the Olympics? Meet Laviai Nielsen.
Laviai at the European Athletics Championships 2024
The British 400m runner only made her Olympic debut at Toyko three years ago, but she’s cemented a solid following ahead of Paris 2024. She’s now the face of various publications and has amassed 164k Instagram followers, 141k on TikTok (with videos topping 5 million views), 17k YouTube subscribers, and 1k followers on her WhatsApp channel (highly recommend if you fancy a BTS of the Olympics). Here’s everything you need to know about her as she guns for gold in the women’s 400m race.
1.She grew up in East London
Laviai’s mother is Egyptian-Sudanese and her father is Danish, but Laviai was born and raised in Leytonstone, East London.
2. She’s 28
Birthday: 13 March 1996.
3. She has a twin
Laviai has an identical twin sister, Lina. Lina is also a world-class sprinter, and the two sisters were part of the same relay team in the 4x400m relay at the European Junior Championships in 2015, where their team won gold. Lina, however, has recently made the move to 400m hurdles and will compete against her rival Jessie Knight in the women’s 400m hurdles at Paris.
4. Laviai has a degree in geography
In 2018, she graduated from Queen Mary University with a degree in Geography. Her sister Lina, meanwhile, studied chemistry at the same university.
5. She volunteered at the London 2012 Olympics
At London 2012, Laviai and Lina were volunteers for the Games, responsible for carrying the bags of Olympic champion heptathlete and Women’s Health cover star Jessica Ennis-Hill. As Laviai ran a 400m personal best at the London Diamond League (49.87 seconds), she reflected on her time assisting Ennis-Hill, telling Athletics Weekly: ‘This is the stadium where I was inspired to commit to the sport full time in 2012. I have this stadium to thank for so much.’
6. She has a tattoo of the Olympic rings
Laviai has a tattoo of the Olympic rings
Laviai has several tattoos, but her favourite is the five interlocked circles on her lower left midriff. Though she admits it was the most painful, she told Olympics.com, ‘It’s my proudest tattoo.’
7. She was 16 when she planned to make it to the Olympics
Speaking of her tattoo, she added: ‘I decided when I was 16 I was going to go to Olympic Games, and after that, I was going to get the Olympic rings. And I achieved that a couple of years ago, so I’m very proud to have that on my body.’
8. She has multiple sclerosis
Laviai was diagnosed with MS two weeks out of the Tokyo Games
It was only in the run-up to Tokyo 2021 that Laviai noticed something wasn’t quite right. ‘ I was finishing races with what I would describe as a numb feeling on one side, and it would happen whenever I would get hot or whenever I would have a lot of adrenaline in my body,’ she told Olympics.com.
After some investigation, just two weeks out from the Games, Laviai was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic condition caused by your immune system attacking your brain and nerves.
At the time, Laviai explained that the news was devastating to receive so close to the Games since it wasn’t enough time for her to ‘navigate’ her symptoms, meaning the team finished fifth – a ‘disappointment’, so says Laviai.
Laviai’s twin Lina also has MS. Lina was diagnosed at 17, after her symptoms began presenting at 13. She previously said that she kept the news from Laviai for two months, overwhelmed with guilt that her sister would share the disease since it can be genetic. The pair now recognise the value in sharing their journeys with the condition, with the hope of ‘inspiring people’ and showing them that ‘even though there might be a roadblock, you can still continue’.
Laviai and Lina speak openly about their experiences with MS on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Laviai also revealed to the BBC that the pair have decided ‘not to take medicine’ for the condition, since they’re ‘not sure of the side effects’. Instead, she explains that they take their diet and nutrition very seriously.
9. Laviai and Lina have a YouTube channel
Dubbed ‘The Nielsen Twins’, Laviai and Lina have documented much of their MS journey on their YouTube channel. This year, the sisters also launched a new series titled ‘Road to Paris’, with episodes including ‘How to qualify for the Olympics’, ‘Tough running sessions’, and ‘What is training camp?’
10. In July 2019, she became the fastest British woman over 400m
Laviai celebrated her win at the 2019 World Athletics Championships
Her 400m time of 50.83 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in 2019 was the fastest by a British woman since Christine Ohuruogu’s gold medal-winning performance in the 2015 World Championship final.
11. Paris will be the first time she will compete alone
Laviai and sister Lina have historically competed in the same 4x400m relay team
Laviai secured her spot for her second Olympic Games after finishing in second place with a 50.92-second finish time at the UK Championships in Manchester. Paris 2024 will see her first individual Olympic race, after finishing fifth in the women’s 4x400m relay in Tokyo.
12. Her warm-ups are an hour long
Speaking on TikTok, Laviai said: ‘Whenever I tell someone that warming up for a sprint session can take up to an hour, they never believe me.’ She went on to share a series of warm-up exercises she swears by.
13. She’s signed to Storm Models agency
Both Laviai and her twin Lina are signed to Storm Models. Speaking of modelling, Laviai told the BBC: ‘It is not particularly hard, running around a track in less than a minute is much harder.’
Read now: I upgraded my walks with a weighted vest
Related stories:
- Team GB athletes to watch out for at the Paris Olympics 2024
- Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin overcame epilepsy to become a champion
- Team GB rugby players swap kit for lingerie in new #StrongIsBeautiful campaign
Bridie Wilkins
Fitness Director
Bridie is Fitness Director at Women's Health UK. She spends her days sweating over new workouts, fitness launches and the best home gym kit so you have all that you need to get fit done. Her work has been published in Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and more. She’s also a part-time yoga teacher with a habit of nodding off mid savasana (not when she’s teaching, promise).
