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Athlete of the Month - Fastest 17 Year Old in the World - Romell Glave

In 2017, Romell Glave was the worlds fastest 17-year old, with a 100m time of 10.21. Due to this success Romell topped the UK rankings for his age.

It's no surprise he has achieved all this, successful athletes rarely fall on top by chance, and Romell is no exception. We caught up with him track side to delve into the ethos, tactics and techniques of a world class sprinter.

Romell Glave English School Games

Romell Glave pictured about to win the English Schools' Mens 150m.

Q. How did you get into your first sport, and how old were you?

R. I started athletics at the age of 4 years old, where I first competed at my infant school sports day. That’s where I found the love for the sport.

Q. Did you have any key idols or role models that you looked up to and wanted to replicate, and if so, why?

R. Yes, Usain Bolt. The reason why he is my key idols and role model is because he did great things without taking any banned substances in the sports, which shows that through hard work anything is possible. Also, he did what no other athlete could accomplish in their career.

Q. How do you cater for your sports nutrition? 

R. I try to eat fruits and vegetable every day and try to avoid eating drunk food like chips etc. on a regular basic, at least once a week sometimes. In the morning before breakfast I try to drink at least 2 cups of water and then 40-45 minutes later I would have cereals and tea with eggs sometimes. Before I competition I have a high carbs diet, the day before; whilst drinking water as well to keep hydrated and I had recovery/protein shake after training and sometimes after a competition to help me recover.

Q. Let downs and injury are a common feature of being a professional athlete, can you tell us how you motivate yourself and what keeps you going through major incidents or tough circumstances?

R. The thing that keep me going through tough circumstances is by loving to compete in competitions, this help me to motivate myself in hard training where I want to give up. But loving to compete helps because it helps me to push my body to the limits and encourage me to keep going although it may be painful. However, at the end of the day, that is what going to help me to win races and championships. By setting targets/plans for the upcoming season helps me to train harder in tough, in doing so this enables me to motivate myself to work harder and so I am able to achieve my targets by the end of thee season.

Q. What advise would you offer to youth athletes facing similar obstacles? 

R. Make sure you don’t lose sight of what is important. If you don’t believe in your ability, no one will. And even more important, maintaining your enthusiasm in your ability is a must. You must ask yourself regularly, what can you do better? Don’t be afraid to try new stuff. Also, if you’re not pushing your limits, your ability/potential will suffer, and you will become discouraged as a result. And remember before you start training, remember what you are there to achieve.

Q. As a very successful youth athlete, how often do you train, and how has this changed depending on your sport?

R. This season, I am training 4 times a week then it will cut down to 3/2 times when I start outdoors competition in athletics.

Q. How do you stay healthy? 

R. Try to eat your fruits and vegetables daily and try to avoid junk food on a regular basic.

Q. What does it feel like to win competitions?

R. When I win competitions, I feel great and delighted because I went through a lot to make sure I am in the best shape and it brings out my confidence I possess, showing that I trust in my ability to make myself proud and everyone that supported me. I always give God thanks for helping me to be where I am, and show my appreciation because without him I would not be able to go out there with that excitement in my running. However, after winning competition, I make sure I do not get carry away by what I achieved and try to see where I can improve in my race to improve at each competition I take part in. 

Romell Glave

Romell Glave winning the English Schools' mens 150m, source unknown.

Q. What are your future aspirations?

R. My future aspiration are as follows: to go to the World Junior Championship and try to win a medal. On a long term, I want to be an Olympian, Olympic champion and a World Champion one day.

Q. What is your favourite quote or inspirational quote? 

R. My favourite inspirational quote is “Hard work pays off- hard work beat talent any day, so if you’re talented and work hard, you will be hard to beat.”

Q. What does your ‘internal chatter’ look/sound like in the run up to your event time.

R. I picture myself running before my event time, this help me to relax more and just concentrate on my race. I listen to motivational speeches that helps to calm my nerves and speak my teammates and coach to help me to be remain focus.

Q. What advise would you offer to parents of youth athletes regarding their training, the pressure to perform and catering for nutrition? 

R. During this this period it can be difficult to balance academics and athletics, parents will need to offer a huge amount of support regardless of their child’s outcome. I would advise parents not to pressure their children as this added pressure can result in them under performing. In terms of diet and nutrition, I would advise parents to take an interest in doing research and finding a best suited healthy diet plan for their child.

Q. Any tips for balancing training, academic studies, competitions/games and a social life?

R. Try to enjoy yourself in training/competition and try to relax during study time and don’t stress a lot about your training and studies.

Romell Glave

Q. What are your objective thoughts on Youth Sport Nutrition designing PROTEEN®, the first safe supplement for high level youth athletes to support their recovery post training/match?

R. I think it a great idea to design PROTEEN® for high level youth athletes to support our recovery post training because it helps us to prepare and recover for training so we can get the best out of our training and it will benefit us in the long season competing.

Q. What are your thoughts on using sports supplements, do they have a place in elite sport and how do you avoid compromising anti-doping regulations? What safe practices can parents or youth athletes take to ensure their safety and compliance?

R. Personally, I think it helps me to recover faster after training and it helps me to sleep properly. I think they do have a place in elite sport, but it will be based on how each athlete use it to benefit their needs. To avoid compromising anti-doping regulations, you can try to research the products before using it and by checking if it has been tested on the label. Also, you can contact your coach about the product before using it. I would also advise parents or youth athletes to see a professional before deciding to use supplements and ask them questions. It is also important that these marketed products are being bought from a reputable source or manufacturer.

 

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