Olympic bronze medallist Anyika Onuora will discuss the challenges she’s faced as a female Black British elite athlete in a webinar to mark Black History Month.
The online event is being organised by Liverpool Hope University and will take place MONDAY 18th October, from 7pm to 8pm.
Anyika, 36, had a glittering career on the track, competing in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres events, as well the 4x100 metres relay and the 4x400 metres relay.
The Liverpool-born star won gold in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the European Championships in Amsterdam in 2016. And just weeks later was handed a bronze medal in the 4x400 metres relay at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Yet despite her successes, Anyika says that behind the scenes she experienced the ‘brutal reality’ of life as a Black female athlete.
She’s written a new book, My Hidden Race, which is due for publication on 31st March 2022.
The former Team GB competitor says: “I spent the last two decades of my life as a professional athlete, reaching the top of my sport. On the track I felt free, but off it, I was carrying weight that I eventually could no longer hold.
“In this book, I will show the often brutal reality of life as a Black female athlete, far beyond the podium and the flashing cameras at the finish line. Despite experiencing insufferable pain, I kept pushing the limits on what was considered possible, both as an athlete and as a woman.”
In the upcoming webinar, Anyika will talk about her phenomenal achievements as an athlete, and about what it means to be an Olympic medal winner.
But she will also discuss her experiences of race and racism in athletics and about the challenges and adversities she had to overcome. She’ll address her support for the ‘Me Too’ global movement, too.
Anyika will also lift the lid on her incredible sporting family: her brother Iffy Onuora is a former professional footballer and manager who scored 117 professional goals, while sibling Emy Onuora is a respected Race Equality Project Manager and author of best-selling book Pitch Black: The Story of Black British Footballers
Black History Month is an annual, national campaign ‘to honour the too-often unheralded accomplishments of Black Britons in every area of endeavour throughout our history.’
The movement’s mission is to provoke people to ‘Dig Deeper. Look Closer. Think Bigger’ when it comes to issues of race and equality.
And Hope is marking the important month with a programme of discussions organised by the School of Humanities, the School of Social Sciences, and the Students’ Union (SU).
** The following Zoom link will enable you to join the Anyika Onuora webinar:
https://hope.zoom.us/j/84697816172?pwd=UEF3ZytsRlhOUWtOOW1ESVl0UnZndz09
PLEASE USE THE PASSCODE: 117515