I love to dress up, but I don't have time to follow trends

When I met Perri Shakes-Drayton, the first thing I noticed was her long, lean, toned legs. They seemed twice the length of her upper body, and she wore them with a pair of grey marl shorts. Next, I noticed her smartphone. It was dazzlingly bright, almost unbelievable. The keypad, adorned with silver mirror studs and rhinestones, shone like a disco ball turned into a phone. And the final touch was her nails. Each nail was painted a different color, with designs like pinstripes and clouds. With those fingertips, she was constantly tapping away on her phone, mastering all her social media with ease. "When I wake up, the first thing I do is check social media sites. I'm addicted!" she says.

She was born and raised in East London, chats with a charming accent beside the athletics track, and prefers shopping at Brick Lane boutiques over the high street. She's a typical "Perri" who likes bright colors that stand out in a crowd, rather than muted tones. "My closet is full of various styles. I usually wear Nike training gear every day, so I love to dress up. But honestly, I don't chase after trendy fashion." That's right, she simply doesn't have the time.

"I grew up with my grandmother, aunts, and cousins. Our house was not far from where the games are held this summer, and we all lived under one roof. My mother supported me, but she never forced me to do anything; it was my cousin who pushed me," Perri says with a chuckle. "My cousin recommended it. She comes to all my competitions. You'll always find her at the UK domestic events!"

Her training ground is her hometown

And then there's her coach, the dreadlocked man who is the sole reason she continues in sports. "My coach goes everywhere with me. Many athletes have multiple coaches, but I have just him, and he always comes with me wherever I go." He has been Perri's coach from the very beginning, and they've been together for about 10 years. Perri calmly states, "I never thought I could be a sports athlete. I didn't watch sports or know anything about them. I just happened to be good at it." But her coach encouraged her to become a world-class athlete, transforming her self-satisfaction into a career.

Perri, who lives in a world where timing is everything down to the thousandth of a second, calls her coach at 8:30 every morning to get the details of her training schedule. The training location is one of the countless facilities in the town where she grew up.

When training begins, the coach instructs Perri to run laps around the stands. Perri adopts her race-day persona and focuses 100% on the training session. After warming up, she says, "Today is a weights day." "I used to hate weight training, but I realized it's just part of the process." Each training session is different. "One day it's weights, the next day it's the track, and the day after that, it's stretching. I train every day. I used to take weekends off, but I'm back at it."

It makes me so happy when people ask, 'Are you that athlete?'

Perri says, "I don't diet. Honestly, I eat whatever I want, and I enjoy fast food too." As she heads to a popular West Indian takeaway in Dalston, she pulls a healthy banana from her lime green and yellow Nike bag, her favorite colors, and listens to music. She grew up surrounded by London's underground music scene. "I used to go to youth group gatherings and have fun with everyone. I'm proud of them. They're all from this area and are now topping the charts."

Perri's humble roots contrast with her international lifestyle, participating in competitions worldwide. "I love to travel. I love seeing places I've never been. I've been to many big cities like Berlin, Paris, and New York. I found Hong Kong and Beijing amazing. South Korea too."

Perri is paving her way to the World Championships and will compete in this summer's games, but she shares, "I always put on lip balm before a race. If I forget to bring it, my coach has a spare. It's the worst if my lips look dry when I'm shown on camera!" Does she feel she misses out on things that ordinary 20-year-olds do? "Sometimes, yes," she says softly. "I couldn't do many of the things my friends did, but I'm happy. I get to compete on the world stage and meet so many people. Plus, I'm the face of Nike. It makes me so happy when people approach me and ask, 'Are you that athlete?'"

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