In 2006, at just 12 years old, Astrid Nyame, her two brothers and her parents, hopped on a plane to begin a new life nearly 10,000 miles away from everything they knew.

Nyame recalled the move, smiling fondly at the memory and the drastic difference between Durban, South Africa and her new home, Maidstone, Saskatchewan.

"We moved from a city of 4 million people to a small town of a thousand people. So, huge culture shock," she said, laughing.

The move wasn't easy at first.

"I was the only Black girl in my class and that was different for me," she said. "My South African accent was also stronger then."

Little did she know how much she would come to love the small prairie town and its people, who she says were integral to her athletic journey.

"Everyone there was so welcoming and so friendly. And Maidstone just became home. If anyone were to ask me what my hometown is, I would say Maidstone, Saskatchewan."

Nyame was always an athletic kid and, growing up in Durban, participated in multiple sports including swimming, field hockey, netball and track and field.

Arriving in Maidstone also presented a whole new slew of sports for her to try.

"I was always athletic. I really enjoyed being active. Enjoyed sport. Enjoyed learning all of the different sports. So, I just signed up for pretty much every sport," she said. "It was the first time I played basketball, volleyball, curling, badminton."

It wasn't until high school that caught the track and field bug, after a competition in Saskatoon led her to securing a spot on Team Saskatchewan.
"I was doing track and field in Maidstone and in the summer at the time, they would host a legion summer camp in Saskatoon. There was a guy in my class who suggested we all go," she said. "I did it twice, in Grade 10 and 11. My Grade 11 year when I came and did it, I got selected to be on Team Saskatchewan and we went to Ottawa to compete. That was my first really huge, major competition. I think that's where I caught the bug for track and field."

This led to a more serious pursuit of track in her final year of high school when she joined a club out of town, juggling her studies with 2-3 trips a week from Maidstone to Lloydminster for training.

It wasn't long before her talent was spotted by USask at the Golden Bear Open in Edmonton.

"There was a USask athlete who talked to me after the 800. I still was so undecided. I was so new to everything. I had no idea what I was doing. But she invited me to come to Saskatoon to train with her for a week."

After jumping in on a few practices and a high jump session with Lyle Sanderson, Nyame was sold.

"I stayed and watched Canada West and got really excited. I joined at that point - signed." 

The move from South Africa to Maidstone did make the move from Maidstone to Saskatoon seem less daunting, Nyame said laughing, although her first year on the team was a "steep learning curve."

That steep learning curve didn't last long.

During her time with the USask Huskies Nyame collected four U Sports medals including being crowned the 2017 U Sports Champion in 60m hurdles. 

She also took home five Canada West Medals, including gold in both 2016 and 2017 as Canada West Champion.

She was Huskie Female Track Athlete of the Year from 2015-2017, 2017 Mary Ethel Cartwright Huskie Athletics Female Athlete of the Year and in 2018 became a National Silver Medalist in women's 100m hurdles.

Her most recent standout performance came with the 2023 Personal Best of 13.12 in 100m Hurdles.
Needless to say, her achievements speak for themselves and are evidence of why she was invited to train from 2018-2021 with Altis, an elite training club in Arizona.

"That was also a huge learning curve. I went from training in an indoor facility in the winter to being outdoors year-round. I was also training with some really big names including Aries Merritt, who is the world record holder for the 110-metre hurdles."

There she specialized in hurdles, training with Coach Andreas Bemh, who has led athletes to three Olympic medals, including gold and who coached Aries Merritt to his still-standing world record.

"It was an awesome experience. There were just a lot of big names that I was lining up with and training with. That was really cool."

With the goal of competing with a national team, Nyame knew upon returning to Canada that she wanted to continue training.

She also knew she wanted to give back to community, something that was instilled in her during her time as a Huskie.

"A large part of when we were on the Huskie team was being involved in the community. There was always something we were doing. And it made sense with the platform that we were given," she said. "To have this platform as an athlete and not be invested in the community feels like a waste. It's such a privilege to be an athlete of this caliber, to go out there and do all of this great stuff. So naturally, it feels good to give back to the community and it feels good to be connected with the community."

This led her to Running Wild Athletics, an Indigenous-owned developmental and high-performance track club founded by Huskie Track and Field alumna Derek Rope.

"I think that when I first met Derek, and we talked about how they started the club, what their goals were and what their vision for the club was… that immediately drew me in. I liked that the club was focused on community. I liked that we were driven towards something bigger and by giving access to athletes that don't have that type of access to the sport. I was immediately sold."

Nyame now passionately leads Running Wild Athletics' Future Greats program with a focus on introducing younger kids to Track and Field, the different events, as well as building physical literacy and basic movements.
"I hope to inspire kids to chase their goals. Even as a Huskie athlete, I didn't realize how many eyes I had on me until a kid would come up to me and say - hey can I have your autograph? I would think 'who… me?'" she said laughing. "But that can be such a moment for that kid."

Nyame experienced a pivotal moment like that herself when she lined up with Canadian Olympic track and field athlete Phylicia George.

"I had the privilege and honour of lining up with her a few times and racing her. Which is really cool."

Nyame says the first time they raced was a simultaneously exciting and terrifying experience.

"I was not fully prepared to stand on the line with Phylicia George," she said laughing.

George invited Nyame to train with her in Grenada, but unfortunately the pandemic interrupted that plan.

Despite this, Nyame says she is just so grateful to not only have had the opportunity to watch so many amazing women growing up, "but also to line up with them, meet them and get to know them a little bit."

The list of women she looked up to as a little girl is long and filled with inspiring Canadian athletes, including George.

 "When I started to get more into Track and Field, I used to binge watch videos of Perdita Felicien, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Jessica Zelinka and Phylicia George."
When asked who believed in her most, Nyame returns to her hometown of Maidstone, Saskatchewan.

To a teacher and coach who she says had an immeasurable influence on her future – Dave Spiers.

"He was the best mentor that I had in high school. I was really good at doubting myself and talking myself out of things. Mr. Spears would always emphasize to me that I needed to talk myself into something good."

Spears was the coach who convinced her to try hurdles and, when she made Team Saskatchewan helped her train for a heptathlon that included events she had never tried, with just two months lead-time.

"I came back to Maidstone and told Mr. Spiers that I had made the team and he was very excited for me. We sat own and made a plan," she said. "He gave me the keys to the track shed at Maidstone High School because he used to go to the lake a lot with his family. He said 'whenever you'd like to come to the track, you have the keys now. Come out and practice."

Nyame and Coach Spiers remain in touch, although she isn't sure he is aware of the true impact he made. 
"The last time I did the Knights of Columbus meet, I invited him to come and watch me race. And he came and he watched me race and I ran a PB and we both stood on the sidelines of the track crying," she said. "I don't actually think he knows what he did for me… that he knows the extent of how he changed the trajectory of my life."

From a metropolitan city in South Africa, to finding a home in small town Saskatchewan to the big leagues of training, racing, competing and giving back to the community, Nyame says her parents are her inspiration.

"I think just knowing my Mom and Dad's story and knowing that they only ever wanted me to have as many opportunities as possible, which is part of the reason we came here. That has been something that has been really motivating. Just knowing where my family came from and how far we've come. It's meant a lot to me to be able to represent my parents that way."

As far as the future goes, as she works on recovering from an injury, Nyame says the national team is still a goal and while she doesn't know exactly where life will take her, she knows she wants to give back and make the most of every opportunity.

"I've always felt that fire and hunger to do more."