When Lina Nielsen describes her identical twin Laviai as being the shrewder sister, a specific story springs to both of their minds.
It was the summer of 2012 and the siblings, then 16, were acting as bag carriers for athletes at the Olympics, a couple of miles away from their own east London home of Leytonstone. On the first evening of athletics, they were asked to carry the kit for the runners in heat five of the women’s heptathlon 200metres.
It was not by chance that one of the Nielsens ended up standing behind the poster girl of the Games – Jessica Ennis-Hill.
‘She planned it!’ divulges Lina, still smarting 12 years on, before her twin takes up the tale. ‘It was lucky we had her heat,’ says Laviai. ‘But then I went on the heat sheet and I saw she had lane six. We were told to pick up boxes with the numbers on – so I made sure I picked up No 6.’
Lina adds: ‘We didn’t know to do that! We all kicked ourselves. I saw the BBC camera on Laviai behind Jess for so long. I was so jealous, thinking, “This is so unfair”.’
Great Britain’s running twins Laviai (left) and Lina (right) Nielsen dream of Olympic glory
They carried the bags of athletes at London 2012 but could qualify for Paris together this year
Lina, who is the younger twin by a minute, ended up carrying the bag of another Jessica – Zelinka of Canada. But both sisters were inspired by their experience at what is now the London Stadium.
They describe themselves as the ‘epitome of the London 2012 legacy’ as they are on the cusp of being at a Games together again – only this time as competitors rather than volunteers. Laviai, who was in the squad for Tokyo 2020, has met the Olympic qualifying time in the 400m and Lina has hit the Paris entry standard in the 400m hurdles.
The 28-year-olds are also dreaming of being in the same 4x400m relay team -something they managed at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March, when they won a bronze medal.
‘We hadn’t stood on a podium together since we were juniors in 2015, so it brought back memories of the start of our careers,’ says Lina. ‘We both made the European Indoors in 2017 and then I pulled out with a stress fracture.
‘In 2021 I missed out on the Olympics by one spot, then at the worlds in 2022 I almost ran the relay but I fell ill. So starting off the Olympic year with a world medal with my sister was really special.’
The Nielsens have made it on to a world podium despite both suffering from multiple sclerosis
It was also inspirational because the Nielsens have made it on to a world podium despite both suffering from multiple sclerosis – the incurable, lifelong condition that affects the brain and nerves.
Lina was 13 when she first experienced symptoms and was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS four years later.
She went public about her illness after finishing last in her 400m hurdles heat at the 2022 World Championships, explaining how her symptoms had flared up on the eve of her race, leaving her ’90 per cent numb’ on her left side. Reflecting on that announcement, she says: ‘At first I was a bit wary of how it would be received but it’s been really positive. In a way it has helped me accept my diagnosis and helped empower me. It has almost freed me.
‘A lot of people assume MS automatically leads to disability, but it does not. For a lot of people living with MS, they can continue normal activity and exercise. If we can shine the light on that side then it can start to change that narrative.’
Laviai was diagnosed with MS two days before she flew out to the Tokyo Games in 2021. ‘I had sensations in my body that I couldn’t explain,’ she recalls.
The twins (second left and second from right) are keen to change the narrative around MS
‘I told the team doctor first and said I had a history of MS in the family. That’s when they referred me because when you are a twin you have a higher chance of getting it.
‘At the time, I didn’t accept it. I remember the doctor diagnosing me and I wanted him to just stop talking because I had the Olympics in two days. I brushed it under the carpet, but when I got back I dealt with it.’
Fortunately, Laviai has not experienced flare-ups that have affected her running, and Lina has also avoided major episodes since the events of 2022.
‘Luckily we are both feeling healthy and symptom-free, which is a great place to be,’ says Lina. ‘We have learned to manage our lifestyle to tailor around training with MS. We try to manage our stress levels and keep the inflammation down with an anti-inflammatory diet.’
Maintaining a zen-like state is second nature for Lina, who is a qualified yoga teacher, while their joint passion for making nutritious meals is documented on the Instagram account, Nielsen’s Kitchen. Those hobbies, though, are on the back burner this summer as they fully focus on their Olympic dream.
Last October, they moved to Aarhus, Denmark – the homeland of their father – to train together under former UK Athletics coach Tony Lester. The twins have always been best friends but now say they are inseparable.
They will aim for medals in Rome before turning their attention to booking their spots in Paris
‘We have really benefited from training together,’ says Laviai. ‘There were years where we didn’t train together at all and we also went to different universities. Even in school they split us up! So I think this is the most we have spent together.
‘We have even started coming up with the same sentences at the same time. We never really did that before so to do that now we are a bit older is kind of funny. We will bicker and stuff, like if someone ate the last biscuit! But I can’t remember the last time we had an argument.’
As ever on team trips, the Nielsens will room-share at the European Championships in Rome which begin on Friday. They will both be looking to land their first major individual medals. After that, attention turns to booking their place in Paris, with the British Olympic trials at the end of next month.
‘To have both of us there would be amazing,’ says Laviai, whose twin is looking to make up for missing out on Tokyo.
‘It was heartbreaking,’ adds Lina. ‘I actually retired that year. I had four months out and I thought I was going to finish. I have had a lot of near misses and setbacks and hard times. But that has only spurred me on.’
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