This Black History Month, we are catching up with Team GB athletes to find out about the prized possessions which have influenced their journeys to where they are today.
Sprinter and IMG model Annie Tagoe is first up and from medals to magazine covers, she delved into the personal items that influenced her as black athlete and woman.
The 30-year-old powered into the national consciousness this summer, taking home a 4x100m relay bronze at the World Championships in Budapest and recording 100m and 200m personal bests in Manchester and Houston.
But Tagoe is no stranger adversity on and off the track, and over the last decade she’s faced injuries that have resulted in surgery on both knees and received regular injections for arthritis.
Here are the mementoes which shaped Annie Tagoe.
The Youth Olympics Bronze Medal
Tagoe first appeared on the international stage in 2010 at the inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore, in which she won bronze in the medley relay.
“I never thought I would be able to travel the world as a black girl,” she said.
“I didn’t think I would be able to run for this country.
“To get a medal and experience the first ever youth Olympics meant so much to me and my family.
“To see how proud my mum was of me, her being a single mum of five – she sacrificed so much.”
The Debut Magazine Cover
Tagoe signed for IMG Models in May 2021 and made her first print cover in the first issue of CircleZeroEight magazine just a year later.
“My first ever cover… I don’t even know what to say!” she said.
“This picture is my favourite from the shoot. It means a lot because even though I look strong, I look feminine.
“I was like ‘yeah, I’ve made it’.”
The Manchester United Shirt
Though she ended up heading down at athletics path, football was Tagoe’s first sporting passion.
“Growing up [my family] watched football, we still do,” she said.
“I am a huge fan of [Manchester] United. There’s something about this team.
“Football used to be white culture and now anyone can go and watch football.
“Me and my friend go and we’re like ‘Yes! This is a bit of us you know!’
“Through thick and thin, it’s a bit like athletics. One day you’re doing really well and one day you’re not. That’s how football is too.”
The College Dropout Album
In 2004, an 11-year-old Tagoe heard Kanye West’s debut studio album, College Dropout. It has gone on to provide an essential soundtrack throughout her ups and downs.
“This is my comfort album,” the sprinter explained.
“When I’m going through it, when I’m racing, when I’m modelling, when I’m in the cryo. This is the album I go to. It just gets me!
“There’s places this album takes me. I know the words to every song.”
The Olympic Ring Bangle
Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, jewellers Mappin & Webb gifted Tagoe an exclusive Team GB Olympic ring bangle.
“It’s 18 carat gold and it is the most expensive jewellery I’ve ever been gifted,” she said.
“I’m nervous to even hold it!
“I want to go to the Olympics, and I am going to go to the Olympics.
“This is the motivation I needed because there’s so many people supporting and believing in me.
“This was the first year in ten years that I’ve made the team because of all the injuries that I’ve had. Mappin & Webb heard my story and still said ‘we believe in you’.”