James Arminio: Gloucester sprinter racing for Great Britain two years after taking up sport

It was only when Arminio, from Gloucester, started sixth form in 2024 he first got a taste of athletics, having previously played football which he says he “never took too seriously”.

“My coaches always knew I was quick but it wasn’t until I started track that I knew how quick I could be,” he said.

Through his school he was invited to compete against other athletes from the county and eventually qualified for a regional championships.

From there, he joined Gloucester Athletics Club and linked up with his now coach Justin Smith.

Since starting consistent training, Arminio’s sprint times have improved markedly and he represented Great Britain for the first time earlier this summer.

“Constantly seeing improvements, it just gives you that motivation – you’re constantly seeing the times decrease, you know that if you keep doing the work that’s going to keep happening,” he said.

“At the start of this season, me and Justin had a chat and said the [U20] World Championships is at the end of this year, do we want to go for it? And I said ‘absolutely’.

“That was the main motivation for me this season, I knew that was where I wanted to go, that was how much quicker I wanted to be.”

Arminio says he is not looking too far ahead and hopes this week’s competition in Eugene will be another step in his development, with his career still in its infancy.

“It would be nice to win obviously but, with the level of competition, it’s going to take a lot to do well there,” he added.

“I’m hoping to just get a good personal best, enjoy the experience, meet people and learn from them – take that into the future and grow from there.”