On top of that, she also walked away from Bergen with a second gold medal as part of the victorious 4x400m relay team.<\/span><\/p>\n After a standout season, Newnham is now preparing to test herself once again \u2014 this time against the best in the country.<\/span><\/p> \u201cI think I\u2019m just excited, to be honest,\u201d Newnham says. \u201cBritish Champs is another exciting opportunity to go out there and experience that level of expectation on myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This year, Newnham arrives at the British Championships with a new kind of opportunity \u2014 one she hasn\u2019t had at the event before: not just to compete, but to lead.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not many competition environments that you\u2019ll get in the senior level where you\u2019ll be favourite,\u201d she says. \u201cSo it\u2019s important to experience what it\u2019s like to have that expectation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Newnham enters the 400m hurdles as the fastest woman on paper and while she jokes about the pressure that comes with \u201cbib colours\u201d (\u201cI just want a normal coloured bib at this point!\u201d), she\u2019s relishing the challenge \u2014 particularly the prospect of facing reigning British champion Lina Nielsen.<\/span><\/p> \u201cI haven\u2019t raced Lina since two years ago at the British Champs when I came third. I think I ran like 57.13,\u201d she says. \u201cSo hopefully it\u2019ll be a bit more of a tighter race.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n Between the British Championships and Tokyo, the focus will shift to sustaining momentum.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to do another 400 somewhere. I need to get a 200 time down too. I feel like I haven\u2019t trained in forever,\u201d she says. \u201cHopefully everything goes well at British Champs and I\u2019ll get my Tokyo selection done. Then eyes will be on Tokyo and just seeing how far I can get there.\u201d<\/span><\/p> The path to this point hasn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t ready mentally. I prepared physically and I was capable, but I just didn\u2019t have the mental headspace.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Since then, she\u2019s put in the psychological work \u2014 working with a sports psychologist, managing nerves more effectively, and building the tools to compete with confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n She\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe disappointment at the U20\u2019s stayed with me for those two years, whereas winning almost feels like you just move on to the next thing,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you really get time to sit back and think until the end of the season,\u201d she says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really feel real right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alongside her individual performances, this season has also seen Newnham thrive in the relay environment. She\u2019s been part of Great Britain\u2019s 4x400m squads, collecting silver and bronze medals at the European Indoor Championships \u2014 bronze in the mixed relay, silver in the women\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n That team environment has been a valuable learning space \u2014 particularly with experienced athletes like Lina and Laviai Nielsen offering support during uncertain moments.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI remember back in Bahamas at the World Relays I was panicking because I thought I might not get a run,\u201d she says. \u201cBut Lina and Lavia were always telling me not to worry and that I would get a run.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSeeing 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ask Newnham how she found herself in the 400m hurdles, and the answer comes quickly. <\/span>\u201cI think I was pushed,\u201d she says. \u201cI'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!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It was that multi-event background \u2014 from cross country to pentathlon \u2014 that helped her discover where her strengths lay.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe realised I\u2019ve got the speed, but I can also do cross country,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd then my coach Paul at home said, \u2018let\u2019s try 300m hurdles.\u2019 I was like, what\u2019s that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That initial trial run turned into something more serious \u2014 and ultimately, a breakthrough event.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI ended up liking it way more than doing the 300m flat and now hurdles seems to be the one that\u2019s stuck.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2225993896-1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2226168256-1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Emily-Newnham-and-Josh-Faulds.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/TEAM-GB-4X100M-MIXED.jpg\")