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The attention after winning gold in Doha was amazing – but success really begins by staying focused
I love being the hunter. The one in pursuit. In training, I’ll latch on to the boys and chase them down. Even when I was younger, I tended to race girls who were older than me – at 17 I was racing 30-year-olds. It’s where I’m comfortable. But the hunter can go on to become the hunted. And this summer at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, I won gold in the 200m. At 23, I became the first British woman to win a world championship sprinting title.
I had no idea there was so much excitement back in the UK after my win. Growing up in Orpington, southeast London, and training for years with the Blackheath & Bromley Harriers, I never once imagined the fuss that would come as a result of running fast. It’s a change I’ve had to mentally adjust to. The morning after the race, I was in the media tent and someone told me that I’d been mentioned in parliament and while that was, of course, lovely and exciting, I was so surprised. But I often have to separate myself from all the noise to keep focused on what’s most important to me. Continue reading...