Middle-distance virtuoso Phoebe Gill says she will take inspiration from how Tom Daley dealt with so much, so young.
Daley has been chosen to carry the Great Britain flag in the Opening Ceremony on the River Seine, 16 years since stepping on the Olympic stage as a 14-year-old.
800m runner Gill is one of 14 teenagers in the Team GB squad, rising from promising junior to Olympic medal contender thanks to a stunning 1:57 clocking in Belfast and a statement victory at the UK Athletics Championships.
The St Albans sixth former doesn’t have far to look when it comes to an example of how to stay grounded amid a rapid early rise to the top.
“I’m grateful to be going to the Games at this age because I know there is less pressure on me now,” said Gill. “Ever since I ran 1:57, I’ve felt older in a way and started to compare myself to more mature athletes.
“I don’t think that was the best thing to do because you draw higher expectations just because you’ve run fast. I sometimes need to remind myself and ground myself that I am still a teenager and do have a long career left.
“It’s weird seeing people compare me to Tom Daley and other young Olympians. I hope I have successful journeys like them. I remember watching them when I was younger and thinking they were such inspiring people. Hopefully, I can be like that and a role model on my journey in athletics.”
Gill’s first Olympic memory is of watching hockey at London 2012 and her initial sporting love was actually swimming.
She recalls: “I was always a swimmer when I was younger – that was my main sport and I think that really helped my strength when I eventually got into athletics.”
Gill was soon succeeding in the muck and nettles of cross-country running and coach Deborah Steer has overseen her development at St Albans Athletics Club.
“The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was from Deborah,” says Gill. “She told me that I am a young athlete and that I have got my entire journey in front of me.
“It means I am allowed to struggle, and I am allowed to have highs and lows because, at the end of the day, every single competition I do is just a training race for the bigger events when I am older.
“So, it does not matter if I struggle now at my age. She has played a massive role in developing me as an athlete, I owe all my gratitude and thanks to her.”
Gill is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – which has been vital on their pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.
She began to turn heads with her performances in 2023, becoming England under-20 and English Schools inter girls 800m champion and clocking some impressive times.
That led her to the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago where she won gold and broke Jessica Ennis-Hill’s championship record.
The day after her victory at last month’s Olympic Trials, Gill was back at her primary school doing work experience and she will take A-Levels in biology, chemistry, and maths next year.
She hopes to go to university and already aims to be a role model for young athletes.
“I want to talk about what it’s like being one of the youngest on the team and maybe share how I was able to cope with the highs and lows of it,” said Gill.
“To think I’m a role model for these young athletes is a real blessed feeling because I looked up to people like Keely Hodgkinson and Dame Kelly Holmes for so long. I want to share all of my experiences on social media, so people know what it’s like to be going at this young age.”
Gill is far from a tourist at these Games and will hope to be in the mix for bronze, with Hodgkinson and Kenya’s Mary Moraa expected to duke it out for gold and silver.
“It’s easy to say I’m coming in with no expectations, but I think every athlete always puts some goals in their head,” said Gill. “For me, it’s just to progress through as many rounds as possible, to have fun and run with freedom the entire time.”
With more than £30M a week raised for Good Causes, including vital funding into elite and grassroots sport, National Lottery players support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to live their dreams and make the nation proud, as well as providing more opportunities for people to take part in sport. To find out more visit: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
