It’s hard to imagine any athlete putting the brakes on their training schedule in an Olympic year.

It’s even harder to imagine an Olympic bronze medallist – with their sights set on Olympic gold – hopping straight off a plane from a Diamond League victory in Doha and onto a track filled with 100 primary school children.

Yet that is exactly what Team GB sprinter Daryll Neita did on a gloomy morning in south-east London.

Born and raised in the capital, Neita was scouted at just eight years old during her primary school sports day – a moment that has led her to set up a London-based athletics community.

“If I hadn’t competed in my school sports day in year 6 and had my potential recognised by an athletics coach who was there on the day, I wouldn’t be doing what I am now,” she tells i.

Neita is Team GB’s golden girl heading into this summer’s Paris Olympics, with back-to-back victories in this year’s Diamond League openers in Suzhou and Doha offering just a snippet of what could be to come from the 27-year-old this year.

Lacking the tunnel vision of most athletes in the midst of Olympic preparation, Neita’s journey from young talent to world-class athlete impressed the importance of ensuring grassroots opportunities for children across the board.

In founding the Daryll Neita Athletics Community, the Commonwealth and Olympic medallist hopes to provide just that. A space for the next Daryll Neita to flourish.

“I want to make sure that while I’m getting on with what I’m doing on the track, I also make time to think about what could happen after me. About the young talent that will come after me.

“London is a place of so much opportunity but we have to make it happen. It’s my mission to create a space which supports the athletes of the future.”

In tune with this commitment, Neita’s community sports day saw primary school pupils from five London schools in years 4, 5 and 6 compete in a variety of track and field events including 100m sprints and javelin.

With a study by Sport England confirming that enjoyment is the biggest driver of participation for children in sport, Neita hopes encouraging participation by removing barriers to access will capitalise on this – even if the ripple effect is small to begin with.

“If I can take some time out of my training to have a positive impact on the community, then that’s a tick,” she says. “Even if it’s just one out of 100 children who go home and ask their parents to take them to their local athletics club, then that’s my job done.

“There was a girl that said to me, ‘I’m really happy I came because everyone at school tells me I’m slow.’

“That same girl ended up being the 100m and 200m champion. That’s what it’s all about – people trying something new and realising they can be good at it. I’m inspired by that.”

Taking her role model status in her stride, Neita does not shy away from the weight of responsibility placed on her shoulders.

“It’s not everyday you get to meet a sportsperson that you’ve seen on television, but for children to see me – see that I’m normal, that I’m just the same as them, they can start to believe they can achieve the same things. If it’s not me who shows them that then who?”

Far from detracting from her preparations for Paris, taking the time to carve out a life away from the track is part of the bigger picture for the Olympian.

“For me it’s all about giving back,” she says. “If I can inspire even just one child to get involved in track and field and follow in my footsteps, that would be so special.

“My life is all about running fast times and getting medals, but there also needs to be a ‘Why?’. When I’m surrounded by children who are inspired and excited, it reminds me of the start of my journey and how important it is to give back.

“Being around that kind of energy gives me a real grassroots feeling and that’s what makes me the athlete I am today. Yes I’ve grown and my career has transpired, but I like to remember who I am and why I started. That’s what keeps me learning.”

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Daryll’s older brother Drue shares the belief that his sister is in a unique position to impact a generation of up-and-coming talent.

“I think it’s super important for anyone that’s in the position to inspire, to inspire,” he says.

“Daryll can show these children that they can follow in her footsteps and achieve huge things.

“My sister was lucky to be scouted at such a young age but there are likely a lot of children who have gone unnoticed. Putting on community events – that are separate to school sports days – gives them the chance to realise they have a talent that could throw them into a different life.”

For Neita, giving children the opportunity to run on a track removes some of the fear that comes with unfamiliarity, and she believes, plants the seeds needed to inspire.

“I want to show children and parents that anything is possible. It could just be one moment, one experience, one day that shows you a whole new meaning to your life.”

Just shy of two decades after being scouted at her own primary school sports day – a moment that placed Neita firmly on a different life trajectory – a gold in Paris this summer would be the perfect full circle moment.