The British sprinter has climbed the ranks in recent years and is set to compete at this weeks big event in Rome followed, he hopes, by the Paris Olympics

Since relocating from Jamaica to the UK in 2015, Romell Glaves sprinting career has come a long way. As a junior sprinter, he earned the title of the worlds fastest 17-year-old with a 100m time of 10.21, capturing the attention of the athletics community as a rising sprinting star for Great Britain.

This week, the 24-year-old makes his senior championship debut at the European Championships in Rome. However, his journey to this point hasnt been smooth sailing, proving that the transition to senior-level competition is anything but straightforward.

Running for Croydon Harriers, Glave won under-17 gold in the 200m at the English Schools before successfully doubling (100m/200m) at the national championships as an under-20. His next aim was to compete at the World Under-20 Championships, but it didnt play out that way, says Glave.

Injury setbacks during his indoor season, followed by a fractured back during the pandemic, brought Glaves progress to a standstill making the transition especially tough.

My mindset was so ahead of my physical body, it was a very difficult time, says Glave. But I had to focus on the process itself rather than just trying to rush it and not be consumed by others.

The transition from junior to senior is already tough enough, its a completely different ball game.

A lot of athletes coming from a successful junior level dont make it to the senior level. You have to start again from scratch and reset your mindset you are not the top athlete anymore, you are just one of those guys trying to build up the process.

The process has been tough for the adidas athlete but he reveals that in order to perform well it is important to train your mental side too. Glave has been training his mind with the help of a psychologist and it has clearly contributed to his performance as he ran a personal best of 10.02 toward the end of last year.

Key to Glaves development has been his coach, Michael Afilaka, who has guided him for the past six years. Afilaka is a renowned sprinting coach with a track record that includes training stars such as Adam Gemili and Jeanette Kwakye.

He really does stand by me, says Glave. He could have lost the belief in me when I was going through injuries but that dedication he has shown is so emotional. He has been there through thick and thin and that is not normal for a coach. He is like a mentor to me, he is even like a father to me.

Under Afilakas coaching, Gemili stormed to victory at the World Junior Championships in 2012, after only being in the sport for six months. He then powered through to become world champion and a four-time European champion.

Gemili had so much experience from where he came from and where he got to, so to have that mental wisdom in my corner has helped me tremendously, says Glave.

With the European Championships now only a couple of days away, Glave is back on his feet and motivated to perform to his best. I feel more confident and stronger, and I believe in myself and my speed.

On May 26 he recorded his third fastest time of 10.05 at the Stratford Speed GP, while also running times of 10.12 in Austria and 10.19 in the USA this year a pretty consistent few months.

He recently returned from the Bahamas, where Great Britain and Northern Irelands 4x100m relay team secured Olympic qualification and the World Relay Championships, although he was not selected to run on the day.

It is normal for athletes to make the commitment and not be selected, but its the getting back up from it that matters.

It was disappointing but at the same time it gave me extra motivation and extra fire to show to the selectors that I am going to give you a reason to rethink your decision because I deserve to be there.

Sometimes it isnt going to go your way so I had to reset because this is a new territory for me and it is out of my comfort zone.

With the European Championships set to begin on Friday (June 7), Glave is eager to showcase his strength and speed. Following Zharnel Hughes withdrawal from the 100m, Glave will only be joined by one other GB athlete, Jeremiah Azu, who secured third place in Munich 2022.

The pair will compete at the Stadio Olimpico in Italy, with the heats taking place on June 7 and the semi-final and final both on the evening of June 8.

Despite this being his first senior championships, Glave has his sights set beyond this event, aiming for the Paris Olympics. He will compete against Britains top sprinters at the UK Championships on June 29-30, striving to secure his spot on the Olympic team.

My aim is to dominate the UK and then to dominate the world. I want to compete against the top athletes like Coleman and Noah Lyles.

For me to be there I have to compete against the top athletes in the UK and the European Championships is a great approach to that. It is a stepping stone towards where I want to be which is at the Olympics.

These championships are like a bus stop for where I want to go later in the season.

Stratford Speed GP received over 700 entries for its event on Sunday May 26. Its next event is Tuesday July 2 with another full day planned for Sunday August 8. Entries for July 2 are now open, the link to enter can be found in the bio of @StratfordSpeedGP on Instagram.