At 34, Zara Oladipo is the kind of athlete who makes people believe that careers can defy time. A Nigerian-British long-distance runner who has competed at the highest level for fourteen years, she has accumulated an impressive record — fifteen international medals, two British records, and a reputation for extraordinary endurance that has inspired a generation of younger runners.
She first competed internationally in 2010, at a junior event in Berlin, where she finished seventh. It was a modest beginning, but she was just 18. The following years brought rapid development. In 2013, she won her first senior medal — a silver at the European Athletics Championships in Zurich. She broke the British record for the 5,000 metres in 2019 at a Diamond League meeting, running 14:32. It was, she later said, the race she had spent her whole career preparing for.
Over the course of her career, Zara has competed at three Olympic Games. In 2016, in Rio, she won her first Olympic medal — a bronze in the 5,000 metres. She returned four years later and won silver. She has trained under three different coaches, each of whom has shaped her development in different ways. 'Every coach has taught me something I still use today,' she told us.
Injury has also played its part. Her second serious injury came in 2021 when she tore a ligament during a pre-season training session. Many people thought her career might be over. She returned to competition just nine months later — a remarkable rehabilitation that she credits to discipline, her support team, and a refusal to accept limits.
In recent years, Zara has also become an ambassador for youth running programmes across the UK and Nigeria. She has visited over thirty schools and spoken to thousands of young athletes. 'Running gave me everything,' she says. 'I want other young people to have that opportunity.'
She has not yet won an Olympic gold medal — the one achievement that has eluded her — but she is already preparing for another attempt. At 34, she has lost none of her hunger. The race, as she puts it, is not over yet.