Two years ago, James Arminio was playing football. Now he is lining up for Great Britain at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The Gloucester sprinter first took up athletics when he started sixth form in 2024, swapping the football pitch for the running track. He joined Gloucester Athletics Club under coach Justin Smith, and the improvement was immediate. Arminio says his sprint times have improved markedly since he began consistent training — and the results back him up. He earned his first Great Britain vest in summer 2025, barely a year after taking up the sport competitively. BBC Sport

Arminio and Smith set a single goal at the start of this season: compete at the U20 World Championships. That goal is now reality. British Athletics named Arminio — listed as Gloucester AC, coached by Justin Smith — in its Novuna GB & NI team for the championships, which run from 5 to 9 August in Eugene. British Athletics

The build-up has been busy. In May, Arminio was selected for the 32-athlete GB & NI U20 squad sent to the Mannheim International Gala in Germany, where he ran in the 4x100m relay squad — a four-runner race where each athlete sprints 100 metres before passing a baton. There, the GB U20 relay team won their 4x100m race in 42.87 seconds. British Athletics

More recently, Arminio competed with the GB U20 relay team during preparations for the World Championships at a Diamond League event — track and field's elite, season-long series of top-level meetings. The relay squad used the occasion to sharpen baton changes and race pace before flying to Oregon. Instagram via British Athletics

What makes Arminio's path stand out is its sheer speed. Most athletes reaching a world championships team have spent years in the sport, building through age-group ranks and regional competitions. Arminio's entire athletics career fits inside a single Olympic cycle — and he is still only in his teens. His association with Speed Project Training, alongside his work with Gloucester AC and Justin Smith, has clearly accelerated that development.

For fans watching Eugene this week, the GB & NI team numbers 49 athletes across all events. The U20 championships — for athletes aged 19 and under — are a traditional proving ground for future senior stars. Arminio will be one to watch in the relay events, carrying a baton and a story that barely has a beginning.

His is a career still in its opening strides. The track in Eugene will tell us how far those strides can reach.