Adelle Tracey
Elite middle-distance runner
Sport and Exercise Science, 2016
Elite middle-distance runner Adelle Tracey has competed at top competitions across the globe, including representing Jamaica at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the Women’s 800m and 1500m events. Adelle was identified as an emerging young talent by Dame Kelly Holmes ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games, where she was one of six people to light the Olympic Cauldron.
“I really appreciated the welcoming environment of St Mary's, where you know everyone."
Going the distance
Adelle graduated from St Mary’s in 2016 with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science, and continues to train at the University’s Endurance Performance Centre (EPC) to this day with her EPC coach Craig Winrow.
As an athlete, she was initially drawn to St Mary’s because of its state-of-the-art facilities and long history of facilitating top athletic performance.
This also was a big reason Adelle chose to pursue a degree in Sport and Exercise Science, as she wanted to learn more about how to maintain herself as an athlete, as well as what professional avenues she could pursue.
“I had a natural interest Sport Science and St Mary’s offered really amazing facilities.”
Thinking about her time as a student at St Mary’s, Adelle shares that the course leads were great and really supportive. She particularly loved the physiology modules which gave her new insight into what it means to be an athlete.
Adelle adds that the Student Services team at St Mary’s were great at supporting her with her dyslexia and dyscalculia, providing learning support as well as extra time and separate spaces during exams if she needed it.
Something else that stood out to Adelle during her time at St Mary’s was the sense of community on campus, and the running track at its centre.
“The campus is really nice to be a part of because there's always something going on. It's a really lovely environment to be in.”
In 2012, Adelle was one of six young British sporting talents to light the Olympic Cauldron at the London Games. Speaking on that experience, she shares that she’s still trying to process being selected by Dame Kelly Holmes and that the experience was transformational in her journey as an athlete.
Twelve years later Adelle competed in her first Olympic Games in Paris, representing Jamaica in the Women’s 800m and 1500m events.
While Paris was an incredible experience for Adelle, the lead up to the Games was a turbulent time. Adelle tore her plantar three months before the Olympics but it was misdiagnosed. She managed to hold up for four races in Paris and shares that she feels super proud of everything that she put into that.
“I felt like I was a lot quieter when I first came to St Mary’s, so I definitely grew in confidence there.”
Reflecting on how St Mary’s has helped her get to where she is now, Adelle says that the University has been hugely supportive over the years in facilitating her performance. She adds that the expertise of her long-time coach Craig Winrow, combined with the facilities at St Mary’s and the amazing training group have been instrumental to her development.
She also believes that she became a lot more confident during her time at the University. She shares that she really appreciated the welcoming environment of St Mary’s, where you knew everyone.
When asked what’s next, Adelle says that her major goals for 2025 are the Tokyo World Athletics Championships and hopefully making another world final.
“St Mary's was really supportive in the process to me getting to the Olympics. I spent a lot of hours in the lab and cross-training with the team.”
