Lina Nielsen (born 13 March 1996) is a British sprinter, hurdler and yoga instructor.

Career

Nielsen won the 400 m hurdles at the

2021 European Athletics Team Championships The 2021 European Athletics Team Championships was held in four cities, on 29–30 May (Super League) and on 19–20 June 2021. For the very first time, the ETC was not held on the same weekend for all leagues. At the European Athletics Team Cha ...

with 55.59. Nielsen has a twin sister, Laviai Nielsen, who is also an international athlete over 400m. At the

2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

in Glasgow, Nielsen won a bronze medal as part of the 4x400 metres relay team which also included her sister Laviai Nielsen. After winning the 400 metres hurdles gold medal at the

2024 British Athletics Championships The 2024 British Athletics Championships (sponsored by Microplus Timing) is the national championships in outdoor track and field for athletes in the United Kingdom, which also served as a qualifying event for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The even ...

, Nielsen was subsequently named in the Great Britain team for the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade, links=no) and also known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is s ...

where she went out in the semi-finals after hitting a hurdle and falling to the track.

Personal life

Nielsen grew up in Leytonstone, East London. Her mother is Egyptian-

Sudanese Sudanese or Sudanic may refer to: *pertaining to the country of Sudan **the people of Sudan, see Demographics of Sudan *pertaining to Sudan (region) **Sudanic languages **Sudanic race, subtype of the Africoid racial category See also *Sudanese Civ ...

and her father is Danish. In 2017, she graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a degree in chemistry. Lina is also a yoga teacher, having undertaken her teaching training in

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in Dehradun district of the Indian state Uttarakhand. It is situated on the right bank of the Ganges River and is a pilgrimage town for Hindus, with ancient sages and saints meditati ...

in the summer of 2019. She is now one of the yoga instructors on the fitness app Fiit. In August 2022, Nielsen revealed she had been diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

, at the age of 17. She chose to keep her diagnosis private for nine years, but following a relapse two days prior to her World Athletics Championships heats in Oregon she decided to go public with her story.

Achievements

International competitions

References

External links

* 1996 births Living people Alumni of Queen Mary University of London British identical twins English female sprinters British female sprinters English people of Egyptian descent English people of Sudanese descent English people of Danish descent British Athletics Championships winners Black British sportswomen People from Leytonstone Athletes from the London Borough of Waltham Forest 21st-century British sportswomen World Athletics Championships medalists People with multiple sclerosis British disabled sportspeople European Games competitors for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 2023 European Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Great Britain Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) {{England-athletics-bio-stub