If you’ve heard the name Emily May Owen and wondered, “Who is she, and what’s her story?”, you’re not alone. Emily is best known as the daughter of former England and Liverpool striker Michael Owen and his wife Louise Bonsall. But she isn’t just “someone’s daughter.” Over the past few years, Emily May Owen has quietly built a reputation as a talented young sprinter, while keeping a relatively low public profile compared to her older sister, reality-TV alum Gemma Owen. This is a warm, human look at her background, family, early achievements, and what makes her journey worth following.
Quick facts (at a glance)
- Full name: Emily May Owen
- Born: 29 October 2007 (confirmed via multiple public references)
- Parents: Michael Owen (ex-England international) & Louise Bonsall
- Siblings: Gemma, James, and Jessica Owen
- Notable for: Youth track & field (100m sprint) results listed on The Power of 10 athletics database for West Cheshire AC
- Social media: Private/low-key presence; occasionally appears in posts on her father’s Instagram, including annual birthday notes and athletics shout-outs
Family roots and a grounded upbringing
Emily May Owen grew up in a close-knit family alongside three siblings in the Welsh/Cheshire border area where the Owens have long put down roots. Her dad hardly needs an introduction Ballon d’Or winner, Liverpool icon, and England international while her mum, Louise Bonsall, is known for her love of horses and the family’s equestrian interests. Media profiles and lifestyle pieces that focus on Gemma regularly mention Emily by name, situating her as the second daughter in a family of four kids.
What’s refreshing about Emily May Owen story is how normal it all feels, given the spotlight around the Owen name. There aren’t tabloids chronicling every move; there’s no constant red-carpet circuit. When she does appear publicly, it’s often in family photos birthday posts from her dad, or the occasional glimpse at a family outing little windows that say, “We’re proud of you,” more than, “Look at us.”
Finding her lane Emily’s early sprinting journey
Plenty of teenagers try a bit of everything football, netball, maybe cross-country. Emily May Owen gravitated towards sprinting, and unlike social-media-first fame, she’s been building a profile the old-fashioned way: training, competing, and improving her times.
The best public record of that progress is The Power of 10 database British athletics’ go-to results hub. There, Emily May Owen is listed with West Cheshire and shows a steady history of 100m performances at county meets, English Schools events, and youth leagues, especially across 2021–2024. Notable marks include a wind-assisted 12.54 as an U15 and legal 100m runs in the 12.6–12.7 range, plus a 12.62 (+1.7) at the Cheshire County Championships in May 2024. For a young sprinter, that’s proper speed.
This isn’t just doting-parent talk either though there’s a bit of that, too. Michael Owen himself posted about his “second daughter” competing at the English Schools’ Athletics Championships, calling her a superstar for even making the finals. For anyone who’s been around school sport, that note hits home: qualifying for English Schools is a big deal; finals are another level.
Privacy first living beside, not inside, the spotlight
Unlike Gemma, who took a head-first leap into TV on Love Island, Emily May Owen feels more like the friend who lets her results do the talking. That’s probably by design. As some lifestyle pieces have hinted, the family is familiar with fame, but they’ve made conscious choices around what to share especially with the younger kids. You see it in the low-key Instagram presence and the limited public commentary around Emily May Owen day-to-day life.
From a parent’s point of view, this makes sense. Teen years are already intense. Add public scrutiny, and the pressure can bend anyone out of shape. Keeping her world relatively small home, school, track, friends means Emily gets room to grow at her pace, not the internet’s
The competitive mindset (and why it matters)
Speed is the headline, but the mindset behind it is the real story. Sprinters learn early that progress isn’t linear. One week you’re flying; the next, you’re fighting a headwind or nursing a tight hamstring. Emily May Owen race log shows consistency across seasons English Schools, county championships, youth leagues and that steady exposure to competitive environments is how confidence is built: reps, not hype.
There’s also a quiet, motivating echo in the background: her dad’s sporting legacy. That can be a double-edged sword expectations versus inspiration but the family tone online reads like support, not pressure. The birthday notes and meet-day posts feel like a parent’s proud text message made public: short, warm, and focused on effort and character.
The wider Owen picture horses, football, and home life
If you follow the Owens at all, you’ll know the home is an overlap of football chat and equestrian life. Gemma competes in dressage; Louise has long been passionate about horses; Michael famously pivoted into racehorse breeding/ownership after retiring. It’s a full house of interests, which makes Emily’s choice to carve out her own space in athletics both natural and neat: same competitive DNA, different playing field.
Lifestyle articles about Gemma and the family’s home occasionally mention the siblings by name and age, which helps place Emily May Owen in that timeline younger than Gemma, older than Jessica, and right around James in the birth order. These aren’t deep profiles, but they offer a casual snapshot: normal siblings, teasing and supporting each other like any family with a very un-normal last name.
How old is Emily May Owen?
As of 27 September 2025, Emily is 17, turning 18 on 29 October 2025. Her birthday has been publicly marked by her dad on Instagram several times, and third-party databases have also listed 29 October 2007 as her date of birth.
What does Emily do?
Right now, Emily is a student-athlete with a clear leaning toward sprinting, especially the 100 meters. She’s competed at county and English Schools levels, and her times are collected on the sport’s official UK results platform. If she carries on improving, she’ll have choices: stay in athletics purely for the love of it, chase national age-group teams, or even explore student-athlete pathways as she finishes school.
Is Emily May Owen on Instagram?
Yes there’s an account under @emily.0wen10, and you’ll occasionally see that handle tagged in her father’s posts. That said, it isn’t the kind of hyper-public, brand-heavy profile you might expect. This again fits the overall pattern: real life first, socials second.
Why people are curious about her
Partly, it’s simple: people are interested in what the children of famous athletes do. Will they play the same sport? Choose a different path entirely? In Emily May Owen case, the curiosity is warm rather than prying, because there is a story a teenager who runs fast and seems to keep her head down and grind. The few times the celeb press has mentioned her by name, the tone has been “one to watch,” not “instant influencer.”
A sensible way to follow her journey
If you want to keep tabs on Emily May Owen progression without being invasive, do what coaches, athletes, and fans do: check race lists and results. The Power of 10 profile will keep updating as she competes new seasons, new personal bests, new meets. If there’s big news (say, a national medal or a breakthrough time), it’ll show up there long before any gossip column. And if her family shares the odd proud-parent post, that’s a bonus.
Common questions about Emily May Owen
Is Emily going to be a professional athlete?
Too early to tell and it doesn’t need to be the point. She’s already achieved a lot for her age by reaching English Schools finals and clocking strong U17 100m times. Whether she stays in the sport casually or chases elite standards, the habits she’s building discipline, resilience, patience carry far beyond a track.
Is she following in her dad’s footsteps?
In spirit, yes she’s competitive and talented. In practice, she’s chosen a different sport, which is often the healthiest path for kids with famous parents: their own arena, their own benchmarks.
Why don’t we see more of her online?
Because she’s a teenager with a family that values privacy and normalcy. Her public footprint is measured birthday shout-outs, a few family glimpses, and sport-specific results. That balance feels intentional.
Final word
You don’t have to be a celebrity kid to connect with Emily May Owen path. A lot of us remember what it felt like to chase a time, make a final, or deal with a setback that only our teammates really understood. That’s what makes her story feel real. Strip away the surname and you’re left with a teenager who shows up to practice, runs hard, learns, and tries again next weekend.
In a world that pushes young people to be “brands” before they’ve even sat their exams, Emily May Owen looks like she’s doing exactly the right thing: keeping her circle tight, letting her results speak, and growing up at a human pace. If you want to follow along, watch the start line, not the headlines. The rest takes care of itself.
