The European U23 champion heads to Birmingham as the top-ranked 400m hurdler in the women's event

As the Novuna UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham approach this weekend (August 2-3), one name generating plenty of excitement is Emily Newnham. The 21-year-old heads into the 400m hurdles riding a wave of momentum, fresh off a championship-record-breaking gold at the European U23 Championships, where she clocked 54.08 — placing her fourth on the UK all-time list.

On top of that, she also walked away from Bergen with a second gold medal as part of the victorious 4x400m relay team.

After a standout season, Newnham is now preparing to test herself once again — this time against the best in the country.

“I think I’m just excited, to be honest,” Newnham says. “British Champs is another exciting opportunity to go out there and experience that level of expectation on myself.”

This year, Newnham arrives at the British Championships with a new kind of opportunity — one she hasn’t had at the event before: not just to compete, but to lead.

“There’s not many competition environments that you’ll get in the senior level where you’ll be favourite,” she says. “So it’s important to experience what it’s like to have that expectation.”

Newnham enters the 400m hurdles as the fastest woman on paper and while she jokes about the pressure that comes with “bib colours” (“I just want a normal coloured bib at this point!”), she’s relishing the challenge — particularly the prospect of facing reigning British champion Lina Nielsen.

“I haven’t raced Lina since two years ago at the British Champs when I came third. I think I ran like 57.13,” she says. “So hopefully it’ll be a bit more of a tighter race.”

The ultimate goal, of course, is to confirm her place at the World Championships in Tokyo. With the qualifying time already secured, a top-two finish this weekend would seal her first-ever senior World Championships appearance.

Between the British Championships and Tokyo, the focus will shift to sustaining momentum.

“I’d like to do another 400 somewhere. I need to get a 200 time down too. I feel like I haven’t trained in forever,” she says. “Hopefully everything goes well at British Champs and I’ll get my Tokyo selection done. Then eyes will be on Tokyo and just seeing how far I can get there.”

The path to this point hasn’t been straightforward, and Newnham openly acknowledges how much her past setbacks have shaped her development. Two years ago, she narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the European U20 Championships. But rather than let that define her, she used it as motivation.

“I wasn’t ready mentally. I prepared physically and I was capable, but I just didn’t have the mental headspace.”

Since then, she’s put in the psychological work — working with a sports psychologist, managing nerves more effectively, and building the tools to compete with confidence.

She’s also learned how fleeting success can feel in elite sport. Even after a major win, the desire to move on to the next challenge kicks in quickly.

“The disappointment at the U20’s stayed with me for those two years, whereas winning almost feels like you just move on to the next thing,” she says.

“I don’t think you really get time to sit back and think until the end of the season,” she says. “It doesn’t really feel real right now.”

Alongside her individual performances, this season has also seen Newnham thrive in the relay environment. She’s been part of Great Britain’s 4x400m squads, collecting silver and bronze medals at the European Indoor Championships — bronze in the mixed relay, silver in the women’s.

That team environment has been a valuable learning space — particularly with experienced athletes like Lina and Laviai Nielsen offering support during uncertain moments.

“I remember back in Bahamas at the World Relays I was panicking because I thought I might not get a run,” she says. “But Lina and Lavia were always telling me not to worry and that I would get a run.

“Seeing how they operate in those environments, even in the holding camp beforehand, you end up watching what they do during the day, how they prepare, how they recover.”

Ask Newnham how she found herself in the 400m hurdles, and the answer comes quickly. “I think I was pushed,” she says. “I've always been a big advocate for not specialising too early. I did cross country, sprints, even throws. Throws probably was a step too far!”

It was that multi-event background — from cross country to pentathlon — that helped her discover where her strengths lay.

“We realised I’ve got the speed, but I can also do cross country,” she says. “And then my coach Paul at home said, ‘let’s try 300m hurdles.’ I was like, what’s that?”

That initial trial run turned into something more serious — and ultimately, a breakthrough event.

“I ended up liking it way more than doing the 300m flat and now hurdles seems to be the one that’s stuck.”

Newnham will race in the 400m hurdles at the British Championships this weekend, with the heats scheduled for August 2 at 11:40 and the final on August 3 at 13:55.

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