FULLERTON, Calif. – Growing up in Britain, Mayalee Osola began with ballet in preschool. From age 6 through her tween years, she was a gymnast. And in her early years of high school, she played everything from tennis and field hockey to traditional English games such netball, rounders and cricket.

With her penchant for multiple sports, it's not surprising that Osola would eventually find her way to what are considered the ultimate all-around tests for female athletes– the pentathlon and heptathlon.
 
"When I focused solely on track and field in my last two years of high school, one event wasn't enough for me. I had to be in everything," said Osola, chuckling. "I even tried the pole vault once."
 
The sophomore from the southwest English city of Bristol is showcasing her sprinting, throwing, and jumping skills as a member of Cal State Fullerton's track and field team. At the New Mexico College Classic indoor meet this month in Alburquerque, she improved her school pentathlon record with a 3569-point showing.
 
For the uninitiated, the NCAA indoor pentathlon is a one-day, five-event competition for women, featuring the 60-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and 800 meters. Its longer-format companion is the outdoor heptathlon, which is a two-day competition with seven events – the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200 meters on Day 1, followed by the long jump, javelin and 800 meters on Day 2.
 

Maya Osola calls the shot put her least favorite event, but says she has improved her distance this year. 

The two disciplines, known as "multis," are scored using points tables based on performance rather than placement in each event. The entrant with the highest total points wins.
 
"It's very physically challenging doing five events in one day", said Osola, whose friends call her Maya. "Let say your first event goes badly. You have to snap out of that negative mindset and be able to crack on with your second event and not let it affect the events you've got left. A lot of resilience and determination is required."
 
Osola's strategy is to do her best, execute well and not get too hung up on times and marks. "In New Mexico, I wasn't thinking about numbers, and it worked out quite well. Subconsciously, I will have a number for each event, but it's floating around in the back of my head."
 
After spending last summer in Britain, she returned to Orange County with mononucleosis. "I wasn't able to train in August or September. I thought it would greatly affect my indoor season, but surprisingly it hasn't had much of an impact."
 
The 20-year-old Osola and her Titans teammates will compete this Sunday and Monday at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Track and Field Championships in Reno. She placed 10^th in the pentathlon at the 2025 MPSF championships.
 
Marques Barosso, Fullerton's track and field head coach, believes the Titans will make a good showing in Reno. "We are very strong and healthy. If we go out there and execute like we have at practice, we should have some very good results."

Osola brings a lot of knowledge and maturity to the pentathlon and heptathlon, the coach said. "She had good marks in Britain, where it's often wet and cold. I knew that if we could get her some sun and good weather, she would have success. And she broke the school pentathlon record as a freshman."
 
"They take Olympic sports a little more seriously in Europe. Maya has a killer mindset. She came here to compete, win championships, break records and hopefully become an All-American someday," said Barosso, who is in his 12th year at Fullerton and fifth as head coach.
 
Athletes with combined events require combined coaching, so Osola works with Barosso and assistant coach Robyn Brown on sprints and hurdles, assistant coach Nicola Ader on jumps and assistant coach Michael Pertusati on shot put and javelin.

Maya Osola prepares to throw the javelin at last year's Big West Championship Multis at Long Beach State.

The 5-foot-4 Osola also competes in individual events during the indoor and outdoor seasons. She huddles with her coaches to decide her schedule.
 
"The hurdles, the long jump and the javelin give me the best opportunity to score points for our team," she said. "The 800 meters is starting to become one of my favorite events. When your mentality switches and you aren't scared of the pain anymore, it's 'go time.' If you had told me a year ago that the 800 would be a personal favorite, I would have thought, 'What is she thinking?'"
 
"The 800 is special because it is the last event in the pentathlon. You can look at your overall points and think to yourself, 'If I want to score this, I need to get this time. If I want the school record, I need to get this time. The adrenalin really pushes you to run your heart out."
 
Olivia Walker, a fellow sophomore from Turlock, Calif., and Osola are roommates who battle each other in the multis.
 
At the Alburquerque meet, Osola placed third overall and Walker finished fourth. At the Big West Multi Championships last year, Walker scored 4919 points to break her heptathlon school record. Osola scored 4916, just three points behind Walker.
 
"We have a 'sisterly rivalry," said Walker. "We are very, very close. It's good to have such a close workout partner. We both want the best for each other."

Fullerton teammates and roommates Maya Osola and Olivia Walker are "sisterly rivals" in the pentathlon and heptathlon.

"Maya is one of my best friends. She is just an amazing person to have around. Being a person from a different part of the world, she has opened my mind to a lot of things and helped me learn about myself."
 
Osola and her two older brothers were encouraged to play sports in their hometown of Bristol, which is 155 miles west of London. "My husband and I would take them to practices and sporting events," said Osola's mother, Ramatu (pronounced RU-martu). "We didn't want the kids idling around."
 
"Around the time the pandemic struck, Mayalee began revaluating things and told us she would like to give track and field a try," Ramatu said.
 
Osola's two older brothers, James and Mika, competed as sprinters and hurdlers as teenagers. "Their experiences got me interested in track," Osola said. "I remember the gymnastics coaches saying, 'Don't leave us to do track,' but I didn't listen to them. I had always been faster than most kids, so I really wanted to try it."

A 13-year-old Maya Osola competes in gymnastics. She gave up the sport to focus on track and field.

She played tennis, field hockey and other sports in her first two years at Colston's School, now known as Collegiate School. The private day school in Bristol lacked a track program, so Osola joined the Bristol and West Athletic Club.
 
After her sophomore year, she participated in a summer program at Millfield School, a private boarding school in Street, Somerset. Unlike most schools in Britain, Millfield operates an extensive sports program, including track and field.

Osola passed an entrance exam, secured a place and received a partial scholarship. She attended Millfield as a junior and senior. "It was in both excellent in academics and athletics, and the school encouraged its graduates to study in the U.S.," she said.

 
She participated in the England Athletics Youth Talent Program, an elite training for top young athletes. And she competed in the British Senior Indoor Championships and other national competitions.
 
Her parents and brothers will travel to the Southern California in May to see Osola compete at the Big West championships, which will be held at Long Beach State.
 
"It was both exciting and scary when Mayalee decided to attend school in the U.S.," said her mother. "We thought it was the right thing for her. Our goal is to raise healthy-minded children and support their pursuits as they make positive contributions to society."
 
Her father, Mark, is a project manager for a renewable energy company. Ramatu was a stay-at home mom but is now working at Space NK, a luxury beauty retailer. She hopes to launch an influencing business centered on fitness, healthy eating, family life and interior decortating. 
 
"Many people mistakenly think my surname comes from my mother, who originally is from Sierra Leone," said Osola. "My father grew up in Manchester and has both English and Finnish roots. The name Osola is Finnish."
 
Both of her parents have running backgrounds. Mark was a long-distance runner and once finished the London Marathon in 3 hours and 2 minutes. Ramatu was a sprinter and middle-distance runner in Sierra Leone.
 
James, the older of her two brothers, graduated from the University of Bath in chemical engineering and is an energy consultant. Mika just earned a master's degree at the University of Nottingham and works in marketing. Both work and live in London. Besides track and field, they competed in rugby

.

Maya Osola gets together with her brother Mika, her father, Mark, her mother, Ramatu, and her brother James. 

Osola is majoring in international business. She envisions a career in real estate, selling high-end properties. "I'm passionate about that field," she said.
 
She treasures Orange County's Mediterranean climate and enjoys spending time with friends at the shoreline in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. Osola also likes to read books and penciling in coloring books.
 
"I'm looking forward to the outdoor track season. We have mostly cold weather competing in the UK," said Osola. "We're guaranteed perfect weather out here. It's a happy atmosphere, and there are good vibes all around.

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