Scholar In Focus: Etty Sisson

Great to meet you Etty. Firstly, could you tell me a little bit more about yourself and how you got into your sport?

Thank you. I began running when I was about 10 years old when I went along to a summer camp. The coach who was there noticed me taking part in different activities and said that I could have a lot of potential in the sport of athletics. From there I joined the club that was running the summer camp and just really began to enjoy it.

Is there anything in particular about the sport that you enjoy the most?

I think it’s just the feeling I get when I’m running! It’s quite hard to explain it but it’s definitely a release for me. I’m quite an academic person and being able to train and compete can take me away from that.

When did you realise that you had the ability to compete at a high level?

I feel that I’ve always been able to compete at a fairly decent level, but I would say that in 2021 I really began to gain confidence and feel like the sport could take me somewhere. I moved from doing 100m and 200m to competing in 300m to try and qualify for the English Schools. I managed to do that in my first 300m race and subsequently competed and won at the English Schools and Nationals, so that really made me realise I could achieve. I was competing at Under-17’s at that point, so the following year I then stepped up to 400m which secured me my first GB vest.

What was it that made you want to study and continue your sport here at the university?

I mean the sport was probably the main reason that I decided to come here! Before I made my decision I met with one of the scholarship team and had a tour of the facilities and the access provided to scholars. I found it so much better than other universities I’d looked at, and the combination of the sport and academics here really made my decision quite easy.

How have you found your first two years here at the University of Nottingham so far?

Last year I studied Zoology, and whilst it was really interesting, however I knew that what I really wanted to study was Veterinary Medicine. I was initially very apprehensive about how well I would be able to balance Vet Med with my sport -hence why I chose to do Zoology last year- but now I have switched degrees I am beyond happy with the choice I have made. Whilst the course is a very demanding degree - with a lot of days being 9-5 - I am loving every second of it. I feel that I am balancing it well with athletics so far, and that is thanks to the amazing support I get from my performance lifestyle advisor, the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, and my coaches. I have also had fantastic support from the physiotherapy and strength & conditioning team at the university over the past year and a half who helped me come back stronger from my injury.

Having been here for over a year now, what would your advice be to yourself just before you began university?

My advice would be if you want to do something but aren’t sure if you’ll succeed, just give it a go. I wasn’t sure coming into university life if I would be able to pursue my dreams of being a vet and an international athlete, but now I’m doing both I wouldn’t change it for the world. Whilst it is not easy and definitely has stressful moments, I am so much happier doing the degree I really wanted to do rather than trying to compromise my academics to succeed at my sport. I now know that with the right support team I can succeed in both.

How has your time on the track gone so far whilst you've been here in Nottingham and how excited are you to be competing at BUCS Nationals for the university?

Unfortunately I was injured for the majority of last year and so was unable to do BUCS which was very disappointing, however I managed to compete towards the end of last summer and was selected to run for England. I ran the 4x400m and 4x100m achieving 1st and 2nd place respectively, and setting a new England under 20 record in the 4x400m. I am extremely excited to compete at BUCS this year, as I watched the team compete last year and the atmosphere was amazing. Being injured has really fuelled my hunger to bring home a BUCS medal this year for Nottingham.

I also have friends who are a little older who have competed at the championships before and I’m really excited. The atmosphere looks amazing and I can’t wait to be a part of the university team there. I love watching others race so to be a part of the team at Nationals will be a great experience. In some ways it makes me more relaxed and takes the pressure off. You can enjoy it a lot more than when it’s just you competing on your own.

How do you manage your time around training, competing and studying?

So I split my training between here and Loughborough, and as a part of my scholarship I have support with things such as parking permits which are small things that are so useful. I do my track work at Loughborough and then my strength and conditioning here at the University of Nottingham. Before I came to Nottingham I’d never really had a dedicated strength & conditioning coach, but now I have 1-2-1 sessions with Anna (Nelson) in the High Performance Zone. They have made a massive difference because now I know that I’m doing everything right and my plan can always be adjusted. With the testing that we’ve done, the differences I’ve made whilst here is crazy.

What are your aims for the rest of this year and your time at Nottingham?

This summer it is the Under 23 European Championships in Norway, and so I aim to be selected to compete for Great Britain there in the 400m and 4x400m. I am also determined to bring back medals for the university from BUCS Nationals this year. Veterinary Medicine is a five year degree so luckily I will get to compete in BUCS for many more years yet - hopefully I can bring the university lots more medals over my time here! I’m looking forward to the rest of my degree and aim to succeed in both my sport and academic studies.

Are you looking forward to BUCS Nationals?

Absolutely. I have friends who are a little older who have competed at the championships before and I’m really excited. The atmosphere looks amazing and I can’t wait to be a part of the university team there. I love watching others race so to be a part of the team at Nationals will be a great experience. In some ways it makes me more relaxed and takes the pressure off. You can enjoy it a lot more than when it’s just you competing on your own.

I’m competing in the 400m and hopefully I can come away with a medal! I know a lot of the people I’ll be competing against and there are a lot of really good 400m runners at universities in this country, but hopefully I can bring back a medal. There’ll be a heat, semi-final and then the final, so I’ll be competing across multiple days.

How do you manage those types of competitions?

The preparation and recovery aspects are really important. Making sure that I can get the right nutrition is key. Here at Nottingham I can talk to a nutritionist about this to make sure I’m doing everything right so that I’m ready to run again in the next round.

What are your longer term goals in sport and your career?

In my sport my ultimate aim is obviously the Olympics. This year is the first year I will no longer be a junior, so I aim to start making senior GB teams, first for the relays and ultimately in the individual 400m. LA 2028 is the main aim! I want to continue to love the sport and make the most of all the opportunities it brings me, as being injured has made me appreciate how fortunate I am to be able to travel the world competing for my country and making memories that will last forever. Even though it can be extremely tough mentally and physically, I couldn’t imagine my life without it.

We would like to thank Etty for speaking with us ahead of BUCS Nationals, and everyone at University of Nottingham Sport is looking forward to supporting Etty excel on the track at the championships, as well as across her academics and sport during her time here at the University of Nottingham.

Keep up to date with the University of Nottingham's performances at BUCS Nationals 2025 by following us on social media here, or by checking our dedicated web page.

You can find out more about our the sports scholarship programme at the University of Nottingham here; Sports Scholarships at the University of Nottingham.