Sam Reardon is not an athlete who shies away from setting big targets and the double Olympic medallist believes his Paris exploits are just the start.
The 21-year-old from Bromleywatched the opening ceremony from home having initially missed out on a place in Team GB’s track and field squad following an injury-hit startto2024.
A blistering 44.7s at the London Athletics Meet showed what he was capable of and though it cametoo latetoseal an individual spot, it put him at the forefront of the selectors’ minds for the relays when Charlie Carvell withdrew through injury.
Over the following fortnight, Sam seized his opportunitytowin bronze medals as part of the men’s and mixed 4x400m quartets – an achievement which, two months on, has not truly sunk in.
The incredible exploits which unfolded during the summer have ledtoSam being shortlisted in thetop10 forSportsAid’s prestigiousOne-to-WatchAward.
The annual Award, launched in 2006, recognises Britain’s brightest young sporting prospects and has previously been won by Olympic championsTom Daley and Alex Yee and Paralympic gold medallist Hollie Arnold.
Thetop10 athletes have been selected from around1,000 rising stars, supported bySportsAid, across more than 60 different sports in 2024.
“The word I’ve usedtodescribe it [Paris Olympics] most is whirlwind,” he said. “It was a really surreal experience, everything I’ve ever dreamed of at the biggest event you can do. I still can’t really believe it happened.
“I had cometoterms with the fact I wasn’t going and I was living a pretty chilled life in the build-up.
🌟 Great to see our very own @SamReardon4 in the running for the prestigious One-to-Watch award! https://t.co/Joam1ZLqZy
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) November 26, 2024
"In some respects, that probably helped, but it also meant there was a whole lot of emotion packed into a short space of time, which added a lot of stress.
“But I’m so proud of how it happened. On the second weekend, I had about 20 people there andtoshow them the medal was a really special moment.
"The medal ceremony music still sends a shiver down my spine. It makes you think ‘wow, it was real’ and brings all those memories back.”
Sam’s Olympic performances were ‘the icing on the cake’ after a rollercoaster season which he almost called time on before it had truly got going.
The final session of a winter camp in South Africa resulted in atorn hamstring, denying him the chancetodefend his national indoor title and compete at a home World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
The keen artist and budding chef’s comeback did not initially gotoplan and he admits his ‘love of the sport was not there’ after some disappointing initial results.
Ittook a stunning Diamond League display in the capitaltoget the buzz back and give him the belieftoaim for the verytop.
“I was going into that race wantingtowin, I wantedtoprove somethingtothe public, the selectors and myself,” said Sam.
— SportsAid (@TeamSportsAid) November 25, 2024SportsAid is delighted to reveal the top 10 athletes on the shortlist for this year’s One-to-Watch Award!
The annual award, supported by Aldi, the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner, was launched in 2006 and shines a spotlight on the stories behind Britain’s brightest young… pic.twitter.com/Y8ME3qx9Rn
“I was super nervous beforehand, I was sick, but my coach got me back in the right headspace. When I crossed the line and looked at the clock, I genuinely couldn’t believe it.
“It was a perfectly executed race. Everything fell into place. 44.7s was something I had never imagined, it wasn’t even a target going into the season.
“It wasoneof the proudest moments of my career and provided a huge sense of relief after all the effort and mentaltorment.
“I’ve always seen myself as an 800m runner who tries the 400 but this year we’ve focused fully on the 400m. That (Diamond League meet) was the switch moment where I thought ‘maybe I needtolook at myself as a 400m runner’.
“Looking ahead, I wanttocarry on doing both. There are only a handful of people in the world who have gone sub-45 in the 400m and sub-1.45 in the 800m and I wanttobeoneof them.
“I wanttobe the first person in Britaintodo that and etch my name as Britain’s best-ever combined 400m and 800m runner.”
Sam has been provided with crucial financial support bySportsAidover the last two years – with the charity also offering personal development opportunities through workshops and visits.
The typical value of aSportsAidaward is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.
Sam’s goals may seem ambitious but he has no doubt he can fulfil them.
— SportsAid (@TeamSportsAid) October 10, 2024🌍💚🌍💚
To mark World Mental Health Day 2024, Amber Anning, Bradly Sinden, Emily Campbell, Leon Taylor and Ross Cullen shared with us the most challenging moments in their careers and how they best manage their emotions during difficult times.
They touch upon the impact of… pic.twitter.com/jGrjO8FBNr
It is a mindset shaped and instilled by his mother, Marilyn, who passed away from brain cancer in 2019 and whose memory continuestofuel her youngest son’s achievements.
“She is the biggest inspiration I’ve ever had,” he said. “The way she lived her life, especially when she got ill, she was always positive.
“When we were struggling, she was theonelooking after us even though she was theonegoing through it.
“She always usedtocometomy track meets, she was the loudest person there cheering me on.
“I rememberwatching London 2012 with her screaming at the TV, especially on Super Saturday, when there are photos of me replicating the Mo-bot.
“I was saying ‘I wanttobe thereoneday’ and she believed I could do that. She said she couldn’t waittosee me on that podium singing the national anthem.
“Having that belief growing up was massive. Having someone you could say anythingtoand she’d say ‘it’s possible’ was huge, and I still carry that with metothis day.
“I set big goals and I worktowards them. I wanttobe on thattop step by myself with the anthem playing. It would be the proudest moment of my life and I have the motivationtodo that.
“It’stough when you both had that dream andoneof you can’t be theretosee it. It really is a gut punch.
“But I know she’ll be screaming heaven down cheering me on and seeing her smile in the faces of her brothers and sisters in Paris this summer meant so muchtome.
“When I’m struggling, I remember I’m not just doing it for me, I’m doing it for her.”
SportsAid’s annualOne-to-WatchAward is being supported by Aldi – the charity’s Official Supermarket Partner. The winner of this year’s Award will be revealed in December with each of thetop10 receiving cash boosts and special in-person visits at their training environmentstocelebrate their achievements.
