Meet Amber Anning: All about LSU and Arkansas alumnus who edged out Alexis Holmes at World Indoors

World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2025 - Day 2 - Source: Getty — Amber Anning at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2025 - Day 2 - (Source: Getty)

British sprinter Amber Anning outshined Olympic gold medalist Alexis Holmes in the 400m event at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships. In her first season as a professional athlete, Anning clocked 50.60s to record a special victory in Nanjing, China.

The 24-year-old suffered a heartbreak at the European Athletics Championships two weeks ago. Despite firm medal hopes, a lane violation ended her 400 podium chance. However, she made up for the loss with a 4x400m relay silver win.

The 24-year-old had a successful 2024 campaign, winning the 400m feat in an indoor national record time at the Razorback Invitational to start her year. She followed up the victory by taking the 400m title at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Her next feat was at the 2024 SEC Track and Field Championships etched her name as No. 3 on the British all-time list. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Razorbacks-alum's effort in the 400m earned her bronze in 49.59s. Moreover, she was also a member of the gold-winning 4x400m relay team that broke the collegiate record.

After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Amber Anning soared to the pole podium at the 2024 British Athletics Championships. At the Paris Games, she clocked 49.23s to finish fifth in the 400m in a national record time besides winning bronze with the mixed 4x400m relay and women's 4x400m relay teams.

Amber Anning's family and hometown

Amber Anning reacts at the UK Athletics Championships 2024 - Day Two - (Source: Getty)

Born on November 18, 2000, Anning hails from a family of athletes. Her mother, Melanie was part of the sporting team at Loughborough University and her uncle played football in college. Her father's name is Peter and her younger siblings are Rubi and Sophia. Anning has both Jamaican and American bloodlines.

Other achievements of Amber Anning

Anning in action in the relay event at the World Athletics Championships. Budapest 2023. - (Source: Getty)

Anning set the British indoor record over the 200m. Her repertoire includes relay podium wins at the 2023 World Championships and 2019 European Indoor Championships. She competed in the track events at the Brighton & Hove Athletic Club since a very tender age.

She racked up 200m and 400m wins at the British Indoor Championships in her late teenage years. She was part of the silver-winning women's 4x400m relay team at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships. The 24-year-old has two medals from the Pan American Games as well.

The Brit competed in the LSU athletics team since 2020 before transferring to Arkansas in 2022.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Neelabhra Roy