By her own admission, 2015 saw Enfield’s Lina Nielsen go from being a decent sprinter to one of the country’s most promising 400m runners.

But the 19-year-old was left with a feeling of ‘what if?’ as she struggled for confidence and narrowly missed out on medals, including coming fourth in the finals at BUCS Nationals and BUCS Championships.

However, the Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club sprinter believes she now has the right mind frame to challenge for a podium place.

Nielsen said: “The year before last I would describe myself as an average athlete who was running decent times and then suddenly I was one of the best in the country and it was like my body was there but my mind hadn’t caught up."

“So confidence was a big issue and I needed to use sports physiology and try to understand why I was taking part in athletics and try to stay focussed."

“I needed time to let my mind catch up so I believe in a lot of my races last year I could have run better had my mind been in the right place."

“My confidence has improved in all areas now- my sprinting, weight lifting, all aspects.”

Nielsen, whose twin sister Laviai is the reigning 400m European Junior champion, is once again set to take part in BUCS Nationals where she will join some of the finest athletes in the country.

The BUCS Nationals is the UK’s largest annual multi-sport event and has been a building block in the careers of many professional athletes.

The competition takes place at a range of venues across the city of Sheffield between February 19 and 21 and London 2012 Olympian Aimee Willmott and Commonwealth bronze medallist Bianca Williams are among those who are scheduled to compete this year.

And Nielsen, who is a second-year chemistry student at Queen Mary University of London, is looking to go one better than last year’s competition.

The former Connaught School for Girls pupil added: “I have been really looking forward to the BUCS Nationals all year; I am really excited!"

“I think last year I went into the BUCS Nationals under confident so I did not perform as well as I could have so I did not perform as well as I could have but since then I have gained a lot of confidence."

“I came fourth both indoors and out so this time I am looking to attack the competition and get a medal this year. I am looking forward to the battle."

“I am not sure if I can challenge for the gold or not yet. I will have to start my indoor season and see where I am performance wise."

“But I would be happy with any podium place. I just want to have that medal around my neck."

British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national governing body for Higher Education (HE) sport in the UK, representing more than 150 institutions. Covering 52 sports, BUCS aids grass roots participation through to supporting aspiring elite athletes en route to Commonwealth or Olympic Games www.bucs.org.uk