For our annual Women in Sport issue, we welcomed elite athletes Daryll Neita and Laviai Nielsen to London’s Lee Valley Athletics Centre for our cover shoot.
Despite being in the midst of rigorous training for the Paris Olympics, the sprinters—who are repping Team GB—found time to speak to Marie Claire UK’s Ally Head about chasing your dreams and what it takes to be the best.
“I believe that I can be the best. I can be the best. I just believe it.” says Neita in our exclusive interview.
The pair were at home—almost literally—in the capital’s sports centre. The women, both born Londoners, have trained at Lee Valley, which was opened in 2007 ahead of the London Olympics 2012.
This isn’t either woman’s first shot at the Olympics either; Neita has competed three times, and Nielsen ran as part of a relay team in Tokyo 2020.
In the interview, they discuss the pressure and sacrifices it takes to become an Olympic athlete, as well as the backlash. Neita tells Head, “People see my muscles and say, ‘That’s not very feminine’”. It’s a criticism that is often levied at female athletes and reveals the misogyny that still courses through every corner of society, as well as the pressure and spotlight put on women’s bodies. It’s one of the reasons that for our 2024 Women in Sport issue, we wanted the shoot to be a celebration of strength, resilience, and ambition.
As Nielsen says, “It’s not about how you look; it’s about how you feel – and it’s incredibly liberating to feel strong”.
Here, we’ve rounded up our favourite Olympic outfits to feel your best.
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