26 Jul 2024
The day after securing her place in the 2024 Paris Olympics with a phenomenal victory at Manchester’s UK Athletics Championships, St Albans’ Phoebe Gill was back in school, enjoying some semblance of normality while she still could.
It’s fair to say that things have taken a remarkable turn for the 17-year-old runner since she won the 800m final in June, clocking in at 1:58.66 to become the youngest British track and field Olympian in over 40 years.
Phoebe, who joined St Albans Athletics Club at Abbey View Athletics Track at under-11 level, has dazzled with a phenomenal series of achievements over the past few years, but despite her rapid rise to fame, when she’s not on the track her feet remain firmly on the ground, as she explained when we caught up with her this week ahead of her departure for Paris.
“I would say my life has definitely changed this year, but I think school’s been really good at grounding me in between the hectic things that have been going on. You know, going to maths class after winning the British Champs was definitely a grounding experience and going to work experience the week after was really good for me because I think it’s easy to get carried away with this sort of thing.
“Coming up to Paris, I think things are definitely going to change for the better. I’m getting used to all this media attention now and all these big races and speaking to these legends in sports. So it’s definitely been different but in a good way.”
Phoebe is in her first year of sixth form at St George’s in Harpenden, studying biology, chemistry and maths, and more recently she carried out work experience at her old primary, St Helen’s C of E in Wheathampstead.
“I was helping out with the reception class, you know, teaching isn’t something that I want to get into, but I just really wanted to go back to my old primary school memories because I had a lot of fun there. Being with the little kids after such a stressful but fun weekend was a really nice way to come back down to Earth.
“Sixth form has been good for my athletics journey because I have free periods now in which I’m allowed to go out and train, which has definitely been easier than in past years when I’ve had a jammed day full of lessons.
“I’m very grateful to have such a supportive school behind me in all of this as it’s been hard finding a balance between by athletics life and school life. I was lucky this year to have exams back in April before my track season started, but I know it’ll be difficult next year when I’m going into exams, but I’m sure I’ll find a balance.”
She said she takes inspiration from young tennis player Emma Raducanu, who was studying her A-levels when she went to the forefront of Wimbledon before winning the US Open.
“I know a lot of people find it difficult juggling academics while going to different international events, but I do think that sport is such a nice break in-between looking at books all day and at the same time after a bad training session it is nice to just focus on your studies instead of dwelling on the session.”
Proudly wearing her Team GB shirt, she said she’s been enjoying the build-up to Paris, despite the hectic schedule: “I’m just so happy and I’m so grateful for this year because it’s been the most fun I’ve ever had. And you know, it’s going to be a lot of long memories that I’ll remember forever.”
Her first Olympic memory was London in 2012, when her family dragged her to the hockey, but it was Tokyo in 2020 which proved the more memorable watch.
“I was staying up until two o’clock in the morning to watch the 800s and seeing Keely Hodgkinson get that silver was unforgettable. To think that I’m running on this stage is unbelievable to me, I can’t wait.”
Another of Phoebe’s big influences is Dame Kelly Holmes, who has messaged her several times in recent months about her performances, initially after the Belfast Irish Milers Meet in May, where she set a new European under-18 record.
“She actually sent me a voice message on Instagram and I was like screaming in the bathroom, I was in shock. I remember playing it and I was on the verge of tears. She was just saying well done and go for it at the British Champs, but just to let whatever happens happen, which was really good advice because I didn’t want to put too much stress on myself when trying to make the team. To have someone like Kelly Holmes giving me advice is just so amazing.
“It’s been crazy meeting all my idols who I’ve been watching on the TV for so long but they’ve all been so lovely to me and it’s reaffirming that athletics is the right choice for me because it produces such wonderful people.”
Belfast was the first time Phoebe had run the 800m in under two minutes, with a personal best of 1:57.86, a performance which surprised her as much as those watching:
“I knew I was in good form, but I was definitely not expecting to come away from that race with a second PB. I remember crying on the plane back because going sub-2 had been such a dream of mine for so long, like it is to all 800-metre athletes. To think that I had done that in that race, after all the stressful lead-up to it was just such a nice feeling that my winter training had gone well and it was the most indescribable thing. I was just so happy.”
Phoebe repeatedly places responsibility for her success at the feet of her coach Deborah Steer, who has described her as a role model to the young athletes at Abbey View, but the roots of her sporting career date back a lot further.
“I was always a swimmer growing up, and it wasn’t until I reached about Year Four in primary school that my PE teacher Matt Pring saw me run around the field and he entered me into one of the cross-country meets where I actually won.”
Matt, who now works at the Ridgeway Academy in Welwyn Garden City, has continued to follow the career of the pupil whose potential he first spotted almost a decade ago, and after Belfast he posted on social media: “This young lady is going to be a wonderful role model and hero for so many young girls who want to get into sport for years to come – amazing to see how well you’re doing Phoebs.”
Phoebe’s cross country career lasted a few years before she realised she enjoyed the shorter distances much more: “I went to my first nationals when I was about nine and I ended up coming fifth so I thought maybe I should join a club because I want to see how far I can go in this whole running journey.
“Coming into Year Six I improved my position to third at nationals, but realised that I hated cross-country and preferred middle distance.
“I’ve been coached by my lovely coach at St Albans, Deborah Steer, ever since. I don’t plan on changing that for a while because we have such a great relationship and she’s really helped me find a love for 800m and 1500m.”
So what is she hoping to take back to her friends at Abbey View from her experiences in Paris?
“I definitely want to talk about how it is being one of the youngest athletes on the team and sharing about how I was able to cope with all the highs and the lows.
“To think that I’m a role model for all these young athletes is a really blessed feeling because you know I’ve looked up to many role models in the sport like Keely Hodgkinson and Dame Kelly Holmes for so long.
“To think that I might be someone to look up to for younger people is just a very nice and warm feeling for me because I think I could have a lot of words of wisdom to say coming out of these Games. I think I’m going to share all my experiences on social media so that people know what it’s like to be going at this young age.”
Her age has obviously been the focus of much of the media attention in recent months, but Phoebe is conscious that she is really only at the start of her athletics journey, especially as she only turned 17 in April.
“I’m definitely grateful going to this Games at my age because I know there’s less pressure on me now because hopefully there’ll be a couple of more Games as I grow up. But I do think that ever since I ran 1:57 in Belfast, I felt older in a way and started to compare myself to more mature athletes. It wasn’t the best thing to do because I don’t think you should draw higher expectations just because you’ve run fast.
“I do need to sometimes remind myself that I am still a teenager and hopefully have a long career left. I’ve seen the media compare me to people like Tom Daley and other young Olympians, and I hope that I have successful journeys like them because I remember watching them when I was younger and thinking they were such inspiring people. Hopefully I can end up being a role model like that throughout my journey in athletics.”
As she prepares herself for the grandeur of the opening ceremony on Friday, Phoebe has been trying to keep her life asnormal as possible until she gets on board the train to Paris.
“I’ve been focusing on not being too carried away with all of the attention leading up to the Games because I don’t want it to psych me out and I’m just trying to keep the normality for as long as possible because I think that’ll be really good for my headspace. I finished school last week and now I’m just relaxing in my summer holidays, doing a few media things here and there and I’m not changing my training too much in any way, shape or form.”
But she can’t hide her excitement when it comes to actually making the most of her experiences over the coming weeks: “I want to get everything I can from these Games, you know, the Olympic Village, the atmosphere, being around all these great legends in sports.
“Of course it’s easy to say that I want to come into these Games with no expectations but I think every athlete always puts goals in their head. For me it’s just to progress through as many rounds as possible, to have fun and run with freedom throughout the entire time, because you know that’s when I start to excel when I’m not too stressed out.
“I just can’t wait to be running in this amazing crowd of people and hopefully it’ll produce some fast times but we’ll see what happens.”
