Podcast #74: Amber Anning's mum Mel on bringing up a world champion
What's it like to bring up and support an athlete with a dream of becoming a global champion? In the latest England Athletics Podcast, Amber Anning's mum Mel gives a parent's view on their journey together, including the recent indoor season in which she won world indoor 400m gold in Nanjing.
Mel competed for Aldershot, Farnham and District in her youth and recalls racing against the likes of Sally Gunnell.
She gave birth to Amber in 2000 and the family spent part of her childhood in Australia, before returning to the UK where she got an early taste of victory in a Sussex U11 Quadkids athletics event, amid taking part in other activities like netball, swimming, hockey and dance.
"I think that is what sport should be," says Mel. "When kids are young, you don't know what they are going to do and what they are going to be good at, so throw as much at them as possible if you are able to do so, and see where it lands."
A landmark moment was when Mel approached the late Lloyd Cowan - the former coach of Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu - and asked if he would consider working with her daughter.
"The rest is history," says Mel. "He was the most amazing man. He was a very, very inspiring coach. He pushed and motivated, but it was all done with fun at the core of it and a goal at the end of it."
"He said to me that "Amber can be as good, if not better than Christine". I didn't tell Amber that until quite recently, but Lloyd saw what she had, saw what her work ethic was like, believed in her and inspired her. For that, I will always be so thankful".
During their time together, she reached the senior international stage, winning a silver medal in the 4x400m at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow at the age of 18.
Mel talks about being open to Amber moving to train in the USA, and how she has thrived as a senior athlete over the past few seasons, culminating in winning two relay medals and breaking Ohuruogu's British 400m record at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
"To come out there in an Olympic final, run a personal best and a national record and to be around your 50th race of the season, she did herself proud," says Mel of Amber's fifth-placed individual finish.
But the rollercoaster of emotion that we often see in sport was encapsulated within this year's indoor season. The 24-year-old recovered brilliantly from disqualification due to a lane infringement at the European Indoors to win a glorious world title two weeks later.
"All that I could do was just hug her," says Mel of what happened in Apeldoorn. "It was tough. But as a mother, you're there to support your child through the ups and the downs. In sport, you know that these things can happen. To go out to Nanjing and to perform as she did, we were so happy for her."
Mel also discusses her work with UK Athletics on diversity, and efforts to support 381 athletes and coaches through the Lloyd Cowan Bursary, which was set up after he passed away in 2021.
"Lloyd totally believed that every young athlete should be able to reach their potential. If the heights that you were going to reach were to win your sports day at school, that was enough, he just really wanted everyone to be able to go for it.
"When Amber was negotiating her contract, she wanted to give some direct support to the Lloyd Cowan Bursary. With Nike, every year, she is now able to give a certain amount towards both coaches and athletes, which enables them to access kit directly. This year, 2024-25, 81 athletes and 29 coaches benefitted from a direct grant from Amber."
The episode can be listened to in full on Spotify, as well as Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts.
Photos with kind permission from the Anning family