Every four years, billions of people worldwide watch their country compete in the most prestigious sports competition. We watch athletes flip, tumble, swim, and defy the odds of what humans can do. While most of our focus is on the Olympians, you can’t help but look at what they’re wearing.
The relationship between sports and fashion (especially during the Olympics) is a significant one. Olympians know the importance of representing their country and many want to stand out. Cathy Freeman made history when she wore a memorising Nike Swiftsuit in green, gold, and grey whilst winning her 400m race.
She became the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic champion. Our very own Linford Christie turned heads in 1996 when he wore blue Puma contact lenses. The Olympics allows athletes to express their style and individuality and no one knows this better than Team GB sprinter Imani-Lara-Lansiquot.
Imani-Lara Lansiquot typically competes in the 100m and has won a gold medal at the 2018 European Championships, and a silver at the 2019 World Championships, and her 100-meter best of 10.99 seconds makes her the third fastest woman in the UK. I wait for Lansiquot’s call.
When I pick up, she’s warm and cheery. I started by congratulating her on making Team GB for the second time (she represented Team GB in Tokyo 2020, receiving a bronze medal). When I ask her how she’s feeling she says: “The lead-up to it (the Olympics) is very chaotic because you lose a lot of your routine.
It’s exciting, though, because you’re doing a lot of different training and races. So I’m feeling very overwhelmed but very excited.” As an athlete, the Olympics is the obvious goal.
Lansiquot shares that “It’s one of those big milestones you have in your head. I always imagined I’d be there, in the same way I imagined I’d be in Tokyo.” It’s a huge achievement and Lansiquot doesn’t take being a Team GB athlete for granted.
“I know what it means for my community, To have the upbringing I did and to overcome so many different barriers and to be able to represent this country is something I will always be proud of,” she tells Seasoned. Like most athletes, Lansiquot’s first taste of competitive sports was in school. Her parents were also sprinters in their youth so sports day was a serious matter in her household.
“I think I just had a natural talent for it, and my dad was keen to nurture that. It was definitely something that I loved to do from a young age.” Eventually, when she was 16 she made her first ever team and went to America for the World Junior Championships.
“I remember being there and standing on the track and just seeing how incredible it was, and that’s when I knew this is what I wanted to do,” Lansiquot adds. Outside of her career , Lansiquot tells Seasoned that she always had an interest in fashion. She recalls spending hours watching influencers do fashion hauls on YouTube when she was younger.
“I just used to love it,” Lansiquot says. One of her fashion inspirations is Serena Williams . “It wasn’t a thing for a Black sportswoman to be as expressive and confident as she was.
So I really appreciated her iconic looks in the court in 2005/2006.” One of those looks being a custom-made Nike dress with some Gold accessories to match. Lansiquot explains that she’s learned a lot about fashion in the past few years.
“I’ve been learning about what goes into making fashion and how I can emulate that in my sport. There’s a lot of similarities with sports and fashion, like the level of care that goes into fashion and trying to do things that stand out from the crowd.” As a Nike athlete, Lansiquot enjoys being able to mix her style with sportswear.
“When I’m wearing their clothes I don’t just feel like an athlete, I feel like myself,” She notes that she likes the recent collaboration with Nike and Martine Rose. “Outside of Nike I really enjoy brands that showcase the female body and the beauty of that,” she says. Like many slim Black women loving your body takes some time and Lansiquot explains that she’s been on her own personal journey.
“Obviously, I’m quite muscley and when you’re a young woman you have so many eyes telling you how your body should and shouldn't be,” she says. Being an athlete, your first and most important priority is focusing on the race but you’re also aware that the whole world is watching you. “When I stand on the start line and feel beautiful, and I like to feel confident.
” Race day is an opportunity for Lansiquot to show up and step up. “Outside of sports, my life isn’t really that exciting. Personalising my style on the track allows me to have fun.
Whenever we get our uniform, the first thing I do is go on Pinterest.” She continues: “I look at make-up and hair looks that can help me tie my look together.” This year, the Nike uniform is pink and grey, Lansiquot tells me.
So she’s been thinking about ways she can make the kit cool. “I’ve been thinking about how I can make my nails match the look,” she says. “I’ll start researching things like ‘pink, grey, chrome nails, or almond nails.
Or I'll be looking at eyeliner looks, or blush looks. Things that I can do just to make it a bit more special and a bit more me, so I don't just kind of look like every other athlete wearing the same kit,” she adds. Lansiquot came 5th in the Paris semi-finals, posting on her Instagram she said: "These last six weeks, it’s been a fight to get back to my best, but I have to back my journey.
I’m an Olympic Semi-Finalist & Hungrier than ever to grow from here & be better!" We're excited to see where her talent takes her next..
