There’s a particular kind of pain in finishing just shy of greatness. For Daryll Neita, that feeling hit hard when she crossed the line in Paris last year – fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 200m at the Olympic Games.
It was a season of highs and near-misses. A silver medal in the 100m at the European Championships and another British outdoor title proved she was on the right track but, when the dust settled, there was one glaring truth: she was still without an individual Olympic medal, and it wouldn’t be until 2028 before she got another shot at it.
So, what do you do when you’re knocking on the door but haven’t quite walked through it yet? Neita decided to switch things up. After a solid few years of training in Italy with coach Marco Airale, she felt like something was missing, that she needed something more to take her sprinting to the next level.
Enter Florida, and more specifically, Lance Brauman – coach to Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles. Rather than rushing into an indoor season, the 28-year-old took her time to settle into life with her new training group. Instead, her 2025 season begins with a trip to Jamaica for the first stop on the Grand Slam Track League timetable. Neita will compete in the 100m and 200m double in Kingston (April 4-6), Miami (May 2-4), Philadelphia (May 30-June 1), and Los Angeles (June 27-29).
Daryll Neita (Getty)
How have you been since we last saw you compete?
The last time I raced was Athlos [in September] and I’m just itching to get back onto the track. It’s been exciting watching the indoors and I think if you’re watching and you’re not competing, it always gives you the buzz to be like: ‘Hey, I want to get back competing now.’ I’ve now made a bit of a change and I really wanted to put myself in the best position possible.
What is it like with the new set-up in Florida?
It’s been really fun being in a new environment and being around people that I find very inspirational. I’ve been having things to learn every day about my technique or things in training that I can work on and be better at. It’s been nice having a fresh set of eyes on me and to be able to work on things to become great – that’s what I’m really enjoying. It’s been nice to be feeling very nurtured.
How did the change in training groups come about and why did you make the jump?
The change was not something that was originally planned but I always want to put myself in an environment that’s going to ultimately get the best out of me physically and mentally. I want to make sure that I can be the best version of myself because I believe that that is really important, especially when I am competing at this level.
I’m so close to the podium and I’m so close to achieving what I know I can do. I think I just needed that final push to make sure I’m ticking over in all areas and putting myself in the best possible environment and position for myself. It was a decision that I made, not very lightly, but I’m very happy with it.
Daryll Neita (Getty)
Is finishing fourth and fifth at the Olympics something that you use as fuel and motivation?
One hundred per cent. I poured every single ounce of my being into those performances. Not a night goes by that I don’t think about how close I was but it does give me the motivation to stay grounded and stay positive. I’m putting things in place that I believe are important to me and to carry on reaching my goals and striving for them, I think that’s what is really important. I truly believe that I can be on that individual podium.
How excited are you about opening up your 2025 season and the possibilities that lie ahead?
With Grand Slam coming up, it’s a new opportunity, it’s a new thing happening in track and field. I did Athlos last year and it was the first time that happened. I like to do things that are new and I like to see what’s out there and I think this is a great opportunity to switch things up. It’s going to be a whole new racing environment, a whole new situation and the whole structure of it is so different.
It’s something that lots of people will be tuning in for and I think it really helps give that buzz to our sport, attracting new people and showing that it is growing in that way.
Daryll Neita and Mujinga Kambundji (Getty)
How excited are you to race in Jamaica?
It’s somewhere that I’ve always wanted to race and it’s somewhere that I’ve got family, too. It would be great for them to not only watch me on television as they always do and see me represent, but also to see me in the flesh.
Jamaica always has that vibe about it, whether it’s the food, the music, the culture or the race in itself. It looks amazing to race in that National Stadium. That’s really exciting to me that I’m opening my season there. It just feels very special and in a way close to home. I’ve got my mother coming out to watch me and I’ve got some other family members flying out. It’s just one of the most amazing places to go to.
You are used to running the 100m and 200m double in championships. Will Grand Slam Track be any different?
For the short sprints, I think we’re quite fortunate in a way because they are the events that we usually do, so it’s going to feel pretty normal for me. But then, with some events, we’ve got hurdlers running the flat which we never see, so I think that brings a really big element of excitement and also it’s challenging because you can’t just be good at one thing.
Here you have to be good at both things to get the prize and I think that is going to show so many strengths in athletes that we haven’t seen before.
Daryll Neita (Diamond League)
What Grand Slam Track events are you most looking forward to watching as a spectator?
I’m mostly looking forward to the short hurdles. It’s going to be really exciting seeing girls running over the 100m hurdles and then running the 100m flat. I think that is iconic because we don’t watch them on the flat but they are so fast over those hurdles. I think we’ll see really fast flat times and then we might see some hurdlers in the 100m more often.
