Awesome Athletes: Nicola Sanders

In the run up to the 2007 track and field season, which kicks off in full on the 15th of June with the first IAAF Golden League event in Oslo, I will be featuring some of the best Athletes from around the globe for you to keep your eye on.

Nicola Sanders has everything you would look for in a world class athlete and whilst some sports-casters are only now catching on (and attempting to ride shot-gun on the Sanders bandwagon) Nicola has been showing all the right signs for some years now.

She has incredible strength of body and (perhaps more importantly) of mind and is that rare breed of 400m runner who never gives anything other than from 100% effort right up to the finish line. Her style is fluid and natural and when she runs she glides down the track like silk and finishes each race with a will of iron.

She talks like a World Class Athlete and seems to exude that air of self-confidence that can only be found in World Champions. When asked where she keeps her medals she replied “They used to be in a cabinet, but we got rid of it and they are in a box somewhere” - the wins of the past don't matter to her, it's the big wins of the future that count; The World Championships and The Olympic Games. Nicola Sanders believes that she can beat anybody who lines up in the blocks with her. And you know what? She can.

When she won the 400m at the European Indoor Championships this year she sent out a message to the world. The Gold itself was secondary to the time she clocked: 50.02 seconds. It sent shock-waves around the athletics world.

This is Sanders' breakout season, with her mind clearly focused on the World Championships, she will face her main rival Sanya Richards, who must by now be quaking in her spikes, for the first time in Oslo on the 15th of June.They will likely meet several times during the season, but it will be at the World Championships where she can truly put her stamp on the event.

Nicola Sanders is a superb athlete and a joy to watch on the track, she is gritty, fast and incredibly determined. Oh, and she's incredibly easy on the eye as well... 'nough said.

[Nicola Sanders Profile]