Laviai Nielsen facts for kids
Nielsen in 2017
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| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 March 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.71 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 58 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 400 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Enfield and Haringey AC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Laviai Nielsen (born on March 13, 1996) is a British sprinter. She is best known for running the 400 metres race.
In 2015, Laviai won a gold medal in the 400 metres at the European Junior Championships.
She has won many medals as part of Great Britain's 4x400 metres relay teams. This includes silver medals at the 2017 World Championships and the 2023 World Championships. She also earned bronze medals at the 2022 World Championships. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, she won two bronze medals. These were for both the mixed and women's 4x400 metres relay teams.
Laviai has an identical twin sister, Lina Nielsen. Lina is also an international athlete who competes in similar events. Recently, Lina has focused on the 400-metre hurdles.
In August 2022, Laviai shared that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2021. Her twin sister Lina had been diagnosed with MS some years earlier. Because MS can be passed down in families, Laviai was tested for the illness.
Contents
About Laviai Nielsen
Early Life and Inspiration
Laviai grew up in Leytonstone, East London. Her mother is from Egypt and Sudan, and her father is Danish. When she was 16, Laviai had a special experience. She was a bag carrier for British athlete Jessica Ennis at the 2012 London Olympics. This moment really inspired her to become an athlete.
She remembered, "I stood behind Jessica Ennis. When she came out, the crowd cheering was the loudest thing I've heard in my life. I thought, 'I want that'."
In 2017, Laviai was taking a break from her geography degree at King's College London. She is also an Athlete Ambassador for Right To Play, a charity that uses sport to help children.
Starting Her Athletics Journey
Laviai first started as a middle-distance runner. But in 2013, she and her twin sister were encouraged to try the 400 metres. Laviai quickly improved her 400m personal best time. She got two seconds faster in just two months. By the next season, she was four seconds faster!
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Her big year was 2015. She won gold in the 400 metres at the European Athletics Junior Championships in Sweden. She also ran the last part of the winning 4x400 metres relay team. Her sister Lina ran the second part of that race. Laviai also set a new personal best time of 52.25 seconds. This was one of the fastest times ever for a British junior runner.
Laviai's Career Highlights
Early Achievements (2017-2019)
In February 2017, Laviai set a new personal best of 51.90 seconds indoors. That summer, she reached the final of the 400 metres at the 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. She finished fourth, just missing a bronze medal. On the last day, she helped her team win a silver medal in the 4x400 metres relay.
In 2019, she won another silver medal in the 4x400 metres relay at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Recent Successes (2020-Present)
Laviai became a double British champion in 2020. She successfully defended her 400 metres title at the 2020 British Athletics Championships.
In 2022, Laviai won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA. This was as part of the 4x400m relay team.
She matched her personal best in the 400m in 2023, running 50.83 seconds in Bern. She also won two medals at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She earned a bronze in the Women's 4x400 relay and a silver in the Mixed 4x400 relay.
In 2024, Laviai competed at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. She finished fourth in the 400m final. However, she won a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay with her twin sister Lina. She also competed at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome. She set a new personal best of 50.71 seconds in the 400m final, finishing sixth.
After winning a silver medal at the 2024 British Athletics Championships, Laviai was chosen for the Great Britain team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
At the London Athletics Meet on July 20, 2024, Laviai ran a fantastic personal best. She finished the 400m in 49.87 seconds, breaking the 50-second barrier for the first time!
At the Olympics in Paris, she was part of the mixed 4x400 team. They won a bronze medal and set a new national record of 3:08.01.
She also helped the women's 4x400 team win a second bronze medal. They set another new national record of 3:19.72.
Laviai's Health Journey
Living with Multiple Sclerosis
In August 2022, Laviai shared that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the summer of 2021. MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. Her twin sister, Lina, had shared her own MS diagnosis two weeks earlier. Lina was diagnosed in 2013 when she was 17.
Because MS can sometimes run in families, Laviai was tested after Lina's diagnosis. Both Laviai and Lina received support from their friend, Paralympic champion Kadeena Cox. Kadeena also has MS and started competing in Paralympic sports after her diagnosis. Even with their MS diagnoses, Laviai and Lina continue to compete in Olympic athletics.
Images for kids
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Nielsen (right) with the silver 4x400 m relay team at the 2017 World Championships
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See also
In Spanish: Laviai Nielsen para niños
