Praise and Grumble

Ashlee (not Ashleigh, as she is sometimes called) has been all over the world with her athletics and in 2008 won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Poland. It was this race that booked her seat to the Beijing Olympics as a part of the 4x100m team.

She was the youngest member of the British squad at the 2008 Olympics and although she will still be young at the 2012 games, Ashlee has already proved she can hit the qualification times.

Unfortunately Ashlee had to be pulled out of the 2009 European Team Championships due to injury.  BBC Stoke will be following Ashlee along the road to the 2012 Olympics - and we hope that she will be representing Stoke-on-Trent in London.

Face of Nike

The fact that she is one of the most exciting prospects around is borne out by the news that sports accessories company Nike have persuaded her to join their roster. She appears fit and strong in the Nike video that was launched in the summer of 2009.

In the video Ashlee is featured alongside Cristina De Medrano, a water-skier from Spain. They are showing how training outside is more exciting. Ashlee trains outdoor all season so she is used to the different weather conditions - and uses the outdoors to her advantage. See the video by clicking on the link on the right hand side of the page.

Fastest ever 14-year-old!

Ashlee Nelson has been an outstanding athlete from a young age (she was only born in 1991), and although being a prodigy does not guarantee adult success Ashlee has shown that she has the drive and ambition to help her go the distance.

At just 14 years of age she clocked 11.58 seconds to win the junior girls' 100 metres final at the English Schools' Championships in Birmingham. Her time was a new UK record at that level eclipsing Katharine Merry's mark of 11.67, which was set back in 1989. You can see a video report from BBC Midlands Today TV in July 2005 - by clicking below:-

There also could be more than one Nelson at the Olympics. Ashlee's older brother Alex is also a hopeful for the 2012 games, after he qualified for the 2008 games but didn't compete because of a hamstring injury.

Their father Steve Nelson was once a professional footballer, once playing for Stoke City.