The past twelve months have been quite something for Ben Pattison. At the start of last season, he had a PB of 1:44.60. Without doubt, that is a brilliant time for two laps of the track; it was the fourth fastest in Britain in 2022. However, there may not have been many who expected what was to follow.

The Big One

Fast forward to the present day, and Ben goes into his debut Olympics full of confidence. A World Championship bronze medal to his name, and a PB that no British athlete has bettered in his lifetime. It is an opportunity he is relishing:

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s what I’ve been preparing for all season. I didn’t race indoors, I didn’t do cross country, I didn’t do the Europeans. I have given up quite a lot to prepare myself for the Olympics. It’s the big one, it’s the one everyone really cares about.

I’m happy I’ve managed to make it to this point healthy. I’m really excited now, I know I’m in good shape – I’m just looking forward to it”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Embracing the Pressure

By virtue of his World Championships medal and the wording of UK Athletics’ selection policy, Ben was guaranteed a place in Paris as long as he competed in an event at the British Championships. That helped shape his season, but as someone who loves competing under pressure it had its pitfalls too.

“It was nice, and no so nice as well. I’m someone who performs under pressure, so I didn’t want to go into the trials with my name already on that team sheet. Quite a few people were already saying it, which is why I chose to do the 800m. I wanted that pressure, I wanted race in my event, to have that pressure on me and to perform. Luckily I did!”.

Ben won his first senior British title, clocking 1:45.49. It was one of the most eventful races of the weekend, with Elliot Giles and Josh Kerr both falling. Ben knew something had happened, just didn’t know what.

“I made a bit of a gap and started to ease down, I didn’t want to go deeper that I needed to. But I heard a bit of a thud and thought maybe something was happening’, so I had to try and pick it up again.

I didn’t know what was going on, even after the race I didn’t know Josh went down. By the time I had slowed and turned around, he had already finished. It was just Elliot on the floor.

That’s 800m running, unfortunately for Elliot and Josh. It’s tough. I was a bit worried it was going to happen to me during the race because I was getting bounced around all over the place. I managed to stay on my feet!”

Photo: James Rhodes

Magical Monaco

Ben’s next race was at a bucket list venue. The Stade Louis II in Monaco. Five days earlier, the Paris Diamond League hosted to one of the greatest 800m races in history, with Djamel Sedjati (1:41.56) one of three men inside 1:42.

Ben turned down the opportunity to compete. Was it a decision to be regretted? Certainly not. 1:42.27, the second fastest Brit in history. Only Sebastian Coe has run faster.

“I was pretty upset after Paris, because I chose not to do it! I wondered if I’d made a big mistake, but thought ‘trust the process, Monaco is going to be just as quick’.

I saw people like [Gabriel] Tual and [Elliot] Crestan run 1:41, 1:42, I thought I am just as good as them, I’ve beaten them before, I am capable of that too. If they can do it, why can’t I?

In my head all week leading into Monaco, I thought I could run 1:42. But I said to myself, ‘just take one step at a time; you’ve not even gone sub-1:44 yet, so let’s focus on 1:43 first. Don’t get too ahead of yourself’”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Exceeding Expectations

The enormity of the performance cannot be understated. No British athlete has run faster in Ben’s lifetime, and it puts him fourteenth on the global all-time list. Excitingly, Ben feels there is more to come.

“I was hoping for a 1:42-high, so to go 1:42.2 was pretty mind blowing. I made some mistakes during the race, I definitely know there’s more in the tank. It’s very good to go into the Olympics having run my quickest ever race, knowing I can do better.

I’ve tried to soak it in a bit, but it’s not really worked as it is all eyes on Paris. I’m training hard, I had one of my worst ever sessions on the back of it, that humbled me straight away. At the end of the season, I’ll look back and think, ‘wow, I’ve made a massive step forward this year’. I’m still pretty young, I know I can hopefully beat Seb’s record in the next couple of years.

I think there’s more to give this year, so hopefully I’ll be ending the season as a 1:41 runner. It’s just about getting in the right race, we’ll see”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Ben will continue racing after Paris, one goal being making his first Diamond League final. Also on the agenda are some races over 1500m and ticking a sub-four minute mile off the bucket list. The likely first race post-Olympics will be the Silesia Diamond League.

Whatever happens, an exciting race over two laps is near-guaranteed in Paris. The heats of the men’s 800m take place on Wednesday 7 August. Ben will be joined by Max Burgin and Elliot Giles, a late replacement for Jake Wightman, in representing Great Britain.

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No journey to the top of a sport is easy. Sacrifice, dedication, but also injury and bumps on the road. The usual stories, but ones that Callum Wilkinson has had his fair share of, particularly over the past eighteen months.

Problems began after walking a World Lead over 3000m indoors last February. An undiagnosed ankle pain on the top of my shoe developed after that race. Different scans, different opinions. Early fears of a likely-career-ending fracture in one of the bones in Callum’s ankle were thankfully ruled out. Rather, a bone stress reaction which meant some time spent in a boot.

Damage around – but not to – a tendon was subsequently diagnosed, with a series of painkilling injections lasting between two and six weeks providing relief. However, in August, it was decided that surgery was required.

Uncertainty

Callum noted a period of uncertainty followed. Six months with no race walking followed, although attempts to cross train were more successful. He got a job in Cork, simply to give himself something to do. Rather than on the streets of Budapest, last year’s World Championships were experienced from home.

At long last, the first week of full training came in January. It didn’t long though, as Callum tore his calf in two places wearing a new pair of shoes for the first time. Back on the back foot, his season opener came in April in the Czech Republic. 1:24:57, the slowest 20k race walk of his career.

It did not take long for things to turn around, however. Six weeks later, Callum headed to La Coruna in Spain, where he walked 1:20:23, inside the UKA standard needed to be considered for Olympic selection.

Photo: James Rhodes

Last Chance

Having run the UKA standard, Callum needed a World Ranking position to secure his spot in Paris.

To maximise his chances of securing the necessary ranking points, UK Athletics added a 10000m race walk to the schedule of the British Championships. A career-defining performance was required, likely a British Record. One and only one opportunity.

With considerable crowd support behind him, Callum walked 38:43.91. A British Record. A spot at the Olympics all-but-guaranteed. The celebration from a visibly overjoyed Callum was one of the highlights of the weekend.

“I think it was a release of emotion. When I race, so much of it is about staying clinical, the concentration, with the technique. You have to be so refined that you don’t often have too much time where you get a cathartic release.

The pressure was as big as anything I’ve ever done. To go into a last weekend, last day, and need a British Record performance and a win [to qualify for the Olympics]. It was special. Special.

I dreamt about it beforehand, what I’d do, and I always said to myself, ‘don’t think about that, you’ve got to do the race first!’. I’ve watched it back a few times, I really enjoyed it!”.

Incidentally, the shoes in which Callum tore his calf were the ones he wore at the British Championships. He says he has “made up with them”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Race Day Ready

Callum is as ready as can be for what lies ahead in Paris. He benefits from a near-dream set up. He is coached by Rob Heffernan and trains alongside Perseus Karlstrom. The pair have had their fair share of success in the sport. Rob was World Champion over 50km in 2013, and won Olympic bronze in 2012. Perseus, meanwhile, is the reigning European Champion and four-time World Championship medallist.

The weather conditions, particularly for the longer distance events, have been a cause for concern in the run up to the Olympics. However, with the race starting at 07:30, it is not something Callum is overly concerned by.

“I think we might be alright as race walkers. We are competing very early in the morning, 7:30. For a race, that doesn’t seem particularly early, but that will be a 2 or 3am wake up. That is very early in order to compete for the race of your life.

I’ve always competed really well in the heat. I think my performance in Sapporo showed that. At the moment, I’m thinking more about adjusting to a different time zone for me waking up.

The Olympic Games isn’t all about times. We don’t need records and fast races in order to show who is the best athlete”.

Callum finished tenth in Sapporo in 2021. The course takes in some of Paris’s main sights and might be one of the most scenic of the Olympics. However, it is not something that Callum will be taking in mid-race.

“What will be remembered for me is how the race goes. If it’s a nice profile picture for afterwards that will be a second thought”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Framing the Sport

Despite its history, including British success at Olympic and World level, commentary generated by race walking is often mixed. That might be putting it kindly. The views and opinions of strangers on his sport are something that Callum chooses to stay away from.

“I choose to leave the negative comments that surround the sport alone. It’s very hard to explain to someone the level of training, the commitment, required. You’re training as hard as anyone else in the athletics community, and have to add in the technique and concentration. For one hour and twenty minutes, you need to be dialled in and focused.

I think it is about how race walking is framed. For me, it’s closer to an art form. It maybe should have comparisons to dressage. Generally, what the judges are looking for is a flow across the ground, an effortlessness. It’s a sport of blending in with the pack as much as possible”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Belief

In amongst the sport’s perception, the injuries, the uncertainty of the past eighteen months, there is a clear need for belief. It is what Callum will take with him to the start line:

“It gets very emotional to me. When you’ve gone through the battles I have in order to get back into position to go to an Olympic Games with a chance of a medal, you’ve really got to fight for that and believe in yourself”.

Blending in, but seeking to deliver a performance that stands out. The 20km race walk starts at 07:30 local time on Thursday 1 August.

The post Road to Paris: Callum Wilkinson appeared first on Fast Running.

Seven and a half laps, 35 barriers. That is what separates Lizzie Bird from making her second consecutive Olympic final. For some, her performance in Tokyo exceeded expectations, but not if you followed closely. A ninth-place finish and a British Record, her second of the year.

It is fair to say a lot has happened since. The next year saw Lizzie improve her British Record to 9:07.87 in Monaco, but disappointment in not making the final at the World Championships. A busy summer ended well with silver at a home Commonwealth Games and bronze at the European Championships a fortnight later.

However, last season was all-but-wiped out by mono. A sole steeplechase at the London Diamond League, a last-gasp attempt to make the World Championships. It was not to be. The next goal, Paris. One obstacle in the way (alongside the 28 barriers and 5 water jumps); getting the Olympic standard.

Thankfully, the return to racing has been a positive one and something Lizzie believed could happen.

“I was pretty sure that if I could stay healthy I could get back to where I was before, but that’s always a big if! I had a few niggles in the winter that made me a lot less sure, but once I got over mono, which took quite a long time, my training up until December was pretty solid. A few bumps in January and February, and then got into the swing of things.

I got to April, and I was running out of time [to get the Olympic standard]. I knew I needed to start racing. My first race wasn’t very fast, but it never is for the first one. I was a bit under pressure with time, but it’s worked out ok in the end!”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Conquering Rome

After that season opener of 9:32.95 in Los Angeles, attention turned to the European Championships in Rome. From the outside, it was hard to predict what a good result might look like. There was no need for concern.

Bronze medal, 9:18.39, Olympic standard ticked off in just the third race of the season. It  might have been only two seconds shy of the gold, but it was a result to be proud of.

“I was really happy. Compared to the Europeans last time when I also got bronze and was actually really disappointed, this time getting bronze I was really happy with. I’d only done one race coming into it!  I thought on a good day I could medal but probably my priority was just to get the Olympic standard. I ticked both the boxes so that was the ‘a’ goal”.

Photo: James Rhodes

The British Championships followed, a Championship Record of 9:29.67. Lizzie and her coach, Pat McMurray, had differing opinions on race tactics, but being pushed for much of the race by Elise Thorner removed any dilemma.

“I chatted to my coach before and I wanted to front run a bit and make it fast, but he discouraged me from doing that, just because of the risk when you’re more fatigued. My plan was to pick it up for the last kilometre and see if I could run three minutes or just under. Elise took it out at an honest pace, she ran a really good race”.

Paris Awaits

A prelude in the French capital followed a week later; the Paris Diamond League. Lizzie finished third in 9:09.07, the second fastest of her career. There were plenty of positives to take from the occasion.

“I thought I was probably in about 9:10 shape, but it’s a different thing to go and do it. It definitely gave me a bit of confidence going into the final month. It was a very surprising race with the leaders, but it was fun to be up there with a couple of laps to go. I think I could have run a PB, but I mentally switched off in that last 200m. That’s something to work on”.

Less than a month after that race, Lizzie returns to the French capital for her second appearance on the biggest stage. After learning in Tokyo she is “a good championship performer and can rise to the occasion”, the goals for Paris are clear. Make the final, run a PB, finish as high as possible.

“I’m really excited. It’s my second Olympics but I’m really excited to have my supporters there and my family in the crowds”.

The Olympics will most likely be Lizzie’s last race of the season. However, with a new life chapter beginning in September, it may also be the last race of her career.

Photo: James Rhodes

Changing Gears

As a child, Lizzie was almost as well travelled as when a professional athlete. Born in the Philippines, her dad’s work meant time in Pakistan and Dubai preceded life in St Albans. This “immigration lifestyle”, as she called it, has played a role in what will follow a few weeks after the Olympics. Full-time work in immigration law at the Colorado Supreme Court.

After studying at Princeton during her collegiate years, Lizzie started law school at the University of Colorado after the Tokyo Olympics. Immigration has always been an interest, and law was the path of choice “to try and make a difference in the immigration world”.

She graduated in December and took the bar in February, significant life moments in amongst the steeplechase training. The balancing act of training and studying succeeded, but it will he hard to continue. No definitive decisions will come until post-Paris.

“I’m going to get to Paris, see how that goes, and go fully into my career and see what happens with running. I start work a couple of weeks after the Olympics, so it’s definitely going to be changing gears at that point. I’ll make any long-term decisions a few months from then”.

Regardless of whether the big dance is the last dance, it is bound to be an exciting one. The heats of the 3000m steeplechase take place on Sunday 4 August. Lizzie will be joined by Aimee Pratt.

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“I’m so excited”

When Revee Walcott Nolan toes the line of the Stade de France on Tuesday 6 August, it will be 1,100 days since her Olympic debut in Tokyo. Those three- and three-quarter laps of the Olympic Stadium were a tale of two emotions. A PB when it mattered most, on the biggest stage of them all. Even if COVID meant the stands of that stage were emptier than usual. At the same time, so close but so far. The fastest race of her career, but cruelly 0.01s short of advancing to the semi-finals.

A lot has happened since that morning in Japan. A stress response in her shin ruled Revee out of the 2022 season, an unfinished 1500m in Ostrava the one visit to the track. If that year was defined by a lack of racing, the next was anything but. Twenty-two track races, almost evenly split between 800m and 1500m. Faster than ever before over both, including a first sub-two 800m at a BMC meeting in Watford.

The season did not end after not making the team for the World Championships in Budapest. Focus went onto the 1500m. Three races, three weeks, three PBs – ending the season with 4:03.84 in Zagreb. Almost two and a half seconds faster than she had ever run at the start of the season, but less than half a second shy of the Olympic standard.

It was a welcome return, and the goal for 2024 was clear. A second Olympics.

Photo: James Rhodes

Big Changes

In the quest to reach Paris, last October Revee joined the On Athletics Club Europe. Spearheaded by Thomas Dreißigacker, the group is based in Switzerland during the summer and South Africa in the winter. Her teammates include George Mills and Aimee Pratt, who join her on the Great Britain team in Paris. It has been a wholly positive experience:

“The whole set up, the coaching, the team around me, every little thing has played a massive part in getting me to where I am today. I’m really thankful to be in such a great team”.

It has paid dividends, and Revee has enjoyed an upward trajectory as the season progresses.

The Olympic standard was ticked off at the Ostrava Golden Spike in late May (2:02.42), following fast season openers in Doha (4:03.99) and Marseille (4:04.05). Getting under the 4:03.50 mark changed the approach and mentality for the following races, which provided further breakthroughs.

4:00.77 in Stockholm, followed by 4:00.43 in Bydgoszcz. Step-change times and ever closer to the time-barrier strongly associated with the 1500m.

“The first half of the season was focused on running the standard, and every race I was going into I was thinking ‘watch the clock’. I was focusing on what times I was running. As soon as I’d run the standard, I could be free and just race to race. With that came the 4:00. I think that now I have no actual worry about running specific standards, I can just go and push myself and see how fast I can go”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Not Easy

Of course, getting to Paris is easier said than done, particularly in the ultra-competitive 1500m. Five women with the qualifying standard lined up for the British Championships. With only the top-two guaranteed selection, there was no easy ride.

The race – for those on the outside – appeared particularly slow. Georgia Bell won in 4:10.69, followed by Laura Muir in 4:11.59 with Revee third in 4:11.79. No automatic selection, but as close to certain as one could get.

It was a race, and time, Revee felt ready for.

“On the start line I didn’t really know how it was going to play out, I thought it could go either way. A really fast race where someone might take it out, or it was going to be really slow – like it was. I had to prepare myself for both sides.

I knew I wasn’t going to take it out, I’ve done that before and I thought ‘this is my year to let someone else do that if they want to’. The first couple of laps were really slow, but I don’t mind that. I ran well!”

Photo: James Rhodes

Looking Forward

It will be a very Olympic different experience this time round. Tests, marks and distancing replaced by friends, family and fans. It is an experience to be looked forward to. There are clear goals for Paris, and the rest of the season. Naturally, a PB that starts with a three is up there; it is something Revee is “desperate for”. As she says, “it’s coming, it will come in due time”.

However, that is not the focus of the next fortnight.

“I’m feeling really confident at the moment. My progression has been so good this year and I feel like I’ve nailed the training in terms of peaking at the right time. Sometimes, in previous years, I’ve found that hard to do. If it carries on the way it’s going, I should perform well in Paris.

I always aim to enjoy myself. After being knocked out in the heats in Tokyo, my expectations are a lot higher than that. I want to make it through the rounds, I want to make it to the final and then see how far I can go”.

The heats of the women’s 1500m take place on Tuesday 6 August. Revee will be joined by Georgia Bell and Laura Muir.

Photo: James Rhodes

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“Jake’s got half a yard, he could become World Champion! He’s got to stay strong. He is going to do it!”

The words of Steve Cram, as Jake Wightman proved the impossible was possible to become the 1500m World Champion in Eugene. It was a race many, Wightman himself included, will never forget. It has been quite a rollercoaster since.

The story of last year, beset by injury after just one race in early January, does not need retelling. The recovery was underway, season opening races down under, the Olympic standard secured via a 3:47.83 mile in Eugene, plus a 1:44.10 clocking over 800m, which remains the UK lead. All was lining up to be ready for the challenge ahead in a competitive men’s 1500m at the British Championships.

The Return, Or Not

If only it was that easy. Pain after a session, which did not abate after a couple of days and treatment. A scan revealed a small tear in Jake’s right soleus. The Parisian dream, the redemption of Tokyo, suddenly in jeopardy.

“You never think you’re going to get a problem at that time, but if I was to choose a week not to get hurt, it would’ve been that one. It was a good opportunity to get some more work in, ready for Paris rather than ready for the trials. I didn’t need to do anything to get ready for trials, everything was done. When I knew what the injury was, I had to be so careful not to make it worse”.

The risk for the rest of the season was too big, and a decision was made – in consultation with British Athletics – to miss the British Championships. A medical exemption was granted, allowing consideration for selection. That itself caused some controversy.

“I’ve seen people on social media thinking it was a conspiracy, but there was no way I did not want to be at those trials. The consequences were horrific potentially”.

Indeed, the outlook was pretty bleak on paper. The door to the 1500m was almost fully closed prior to any racing commencing. With Josh Kerr guaranteed a place by virtue of his world title, if the top-two finished in possession of the standard, there was no room on the team. With Neil Gourley, George Mills and Adam Fogg racing and in possession of the qualifying time, it seemed a near-impossibility.

The door was slightly more ajar in the 800m, however. Like Josh, Ben Pattison was guaranteed a place as a Budapest medallist. Dan Rowden, Elliot Giles and Max Burgin were to race with the standard.

Positive Thinking

Despite the potential of not going to Paris, Jake tried to remain as positive as possible.

“If Monday and the selection hadn’t gone the way I was hoping, I don’t know what I’d have done. I tried to not think about it [not being selected], the first time I thought about it was when I came back from a run in pain. I was like, ‘I’m not going, this is it’. The closer it got, the more I realised that actually I think I have a chance of getting picked for the 800m here. When I clung onto that, I thought just stay positive, that could happen” .

Jake didn’t watch what unfolded in Manchester “I was like, ‘what is the point in that?’. It’s not a nice thing to put yourself through. I got told the results, but I didn’t know what had happened”. Needless to say, it was eventful. Elliot Giles and Josh Kerr tangled in the home straight, both falling. Ben Pattison and Max Burgin took the top-two spots, leaving the third place up for grabs. With Dan Rowden going out in the heats, it was a likely choice between Giles and Wightman.

As with any selection, there are a lot of what ifs. Had Jake been able to run the 800m, would Giles be selected for the 800m? As he says, “it’s not a nice situation to be in. Having seen it, it’s not a nice way to make a team, potentially by somebody having an accident. I know who’s missed out, and it’s a mate”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Nothing New

It may not be the distance the running world expected to see, but it is not a complete change from the plan, as Jake wanted to double up in the 800m and 1500m. For the first time in a while, the Olympic timetable allows it, and discussions had been held on the possibility.

“The way I’m looking at it now is, I would always have wanted to double. The timetable works for the first time. I am just glad to be able to go over one of them and show that I can hopefully perform well.

I’m looking forward to having five weeks now of getting ready to run. I’ve got the chance to be able to put my full focus into being as good over 800m as I can. I’ve always enjoyed running 800m more than 1500m, in all honesty. Maybe that’s because there’s been less pressure and I’ll have to have more pressure on myself going into the Olympic Games. I just really want to show that I can run well over this distance”.

It is not as if the 800m is a new or untested distance to Wightman, however. His 1:44.10 at the LA Grand Prix in May remains the fastest time by a British athlete in 2024 and is the joint second fastest of his career. Only his 1:43.65 when winning the 2022 Brussels Diamond League is quicker. He also raced over two laps at the European Championships (silver in 1:44.91) and Commonwealth Games (fourth in 1:46.39).

“It puts a better perspective on my career if I can do something over 800m in this Olympics. I can say I wasn’t just a 1500m runner, I was an 800m runner as well. Maybe I’ll finally get the respect as an 800m runner!”

Photo: James Rhodes

Clear Goals

Knowing the calibre of athlete(s) who won’t be in Paris, Jake’s goal is clear – to deliver his best performance when it matters. Alongside that, is getting to share the moment with friends and family, with not everyone able to make the trip to Eugene in 2022. His mum, former international athlete Susan, was in the stands, with dad Geoff famously on commentary. But the goals are of course beyond those present.

“I believe I can medal over 800m. I believed that watching the 800m in Tokyo, I watched it and thought I’d have loved to be in that final because I felt like I could have had a good chance. Now I’ve got to put my money where my mouth is and see if I can actually do that. If you get to the final, you can have a very good chance of a medal, because nearly half the field get a medal. So if you look at it like that, the hardest bit is actually making the final.

When you’re getting picked with such good people left behind, you have to validate your selection”.

Final Preparations

The weeks ahead are important. Final touches in training, ensuring everything is as ready as it can be. The plan is clear.

“I think the worse thing I could do is think I’ve got to become just an 800m runner in these next few weeks. I don’t, I just need to be a good version of myself that is ready to run over 800m. That means still doing the sessions I’d be doing normally but adding more 800-specific sessions once a week.

The main thing is I just need to make sure I don’t have any slip ups from here. It has to be a smooth road. Fortunately, my calf has healed pretty well. I have a scan next week to make sure it’s completely healed and I can then push on”.

Fingers crossed Jake’s road is smoother than it has been up to now. We might not be seeing him face Edinburgh AC clubmate Josh Kerr or Jakob Ingebrigtsen, but an exciting race over two laps awaits.

Photo: James Rhodes

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Twelve months ago – maybe even two months ago – few outside of those who closely follow British middle-distance running would likely have known of Phoebe Gill. She stunned the running world with a 1:57.86 clocking at the Belfast Irish Milers Meeting, a European U18 Record and the second fastest in history by an U18 globally. Fast forward eight weeks, and two 1:58 performances later, the 17-year-old is British Champion and heading to the Olympic Games.

It has been quite a rapid rise, but perhaps not unexpected. Those with a close eye on the club-level British running scene, particularly Wednesday nights in Watford, will be well aware of Phoebe. She ran 2:03.74 in May 2022, improving to 2:03.34 two months later. Those times are almost two seconds faster than the previous British Record for her age, set back in 1979.

Last year was just as impressive. English Schools Champion, Commonwealth Youth Games Champion, and a jump to 2:01.50. More eyes were opened, more afficionados aware of the St Albans Strider.

Belfast Breakthrough

The Irish Milers Meeting in Belfast has a tendency of delivering fast races over 800m. Louise Shanahan broke the Irish Record in 2022 (1:59.42), twelve months later she and Abbie Ives ran under two minutes. A fast track, a strong field, an undoubtedly exciting race was about to unfold on a sunny Saturday afternoon. That would be quite an understatement.

1:57.86. Phoebe reached the bell in under 57 seconds, and held on remarkably to break the European U18 Record. It bettered East Germany’s Marion Geissler-Huber mark from 45 years prior. An Olympic qualifier, by over 1.5 seconds, eighth on the British senior all-time list. There probably aren’t enough superlatives, and it took a while for the magnitude of the time to set in:

“That 1:57 was so surreal. I remember crying on the plane home because I just couldn’t believe I’d finally done it! It was a four second PB! It just felt really gratifying that my hard work had worked, but I never really let myself believe that I could get to this position where I actually qualify for a place in Paris”.

Paris Perhaps?

Everyone starts the year with goals, ambitions, targets. Were the Olympics on the radar? Phoebe and her long-time coach, Deborah Steer, had different opinions:

“I had a sit down at the start of the season with my coach, and she said ‘you can dip under two minutes, I believe in you. You can get an Olympic qualifying time’. I just didn’t believe her! I said, ‘No, I just want to focus on the European U18s’, and she was like ‘… ok…!’ I never believed it could happen!”.

Of course, to reach Paris, there is a need to navigate the British Championships first. A first for Phoebe, where she would race alongside people she had watched on TV, rather than toe a start line with. Four headed to Manchester with the Olympic standard, and with Keely Hodgkinson guaranteed a spot, only a top-two finish would suffice.

Photo: James Rhodes

Two Laps

Phoebe raced like a seasoned professional, not a debutant. She pulled away from the field, including two Olympic finalists from Tokyo, to win in 1:58.66. The youngest British Champion since 1974. Phoebe shares her thoughts on the race;

“I spoke to my coach before and said ‘I don’t want to lead it!’. If I lead it, I feel like I’ll just go out at 54 [seconds] for the first lap and then die in the last 100m, like I did the last time I ran at Manchester. I really wanted to let someone else take the lead, but no, I took the bait as the commentator said! When I got in that position, I was thinking in my head ‘you can still control this, you can still do the same tactics’.

I got to the bell and thought ‘it’s not that fast, I can still wind up from this’. I just let my legs go and I felt myself go into another gear. It felt like me and Jemma fighting to the line; it was such an amazing experience to have her on my shoulder, such a talented athlete and that really pushed me to the line“.

It is an enormous achievement, one that cannot be understated. Most striking, perhaps, was Phoebe has now run sub-two three times, in very different ways.

“For the 800m you have to be so adaptable, it’s such a tactical race. I love that about it, but it also meant that I was so stressed before the champs. It really gave me confidence that I can run in different ways. It was nice to know that the 1:57 wasn’t just a fluke, and that I solidified it by going under two minutes again”.

Photo: James Rhodes

New Targets & Teammates

The original plan to contest the European U18 Championships, with Phoebe announced in the team, is no more. The competition, with two rounds, take place between 18 and 21 July – less than two weeks before the Olympics. Focus is solely on the big dance. Similarly, the World U20 Championships at the end of August are not on the radar; “I’ll be on holiday then!”.

However, Phoebe will race before the Olympics, the venue to be decided. First and foremost is making sure to “enjoy and soak up the build up to this one“.

It will be a formidable trio in the Stade de France, with Tokyo silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson and fourth placer Jemma Reekie. It’s an opportunity Phoebe relishes:

“They’re such lovely people, they both came up to me after the race, and I couldn’t have better people with me, being mentors for me. Keely was quite young when she did her first Olympics, so she knows what it’s like. I’m really excited to spend some time with them“.

Photo: James Rhodes

Still Surreal

Four days on from the biggest race of her life, the reality of what is coming next month, the dream of so many, is still not fully sunk in.

“It hasn’t set in yet. I keep rewatching my race and keep looking at photos, and I just don’t believe that’s me. Now I’m here and I’m trying to let it sink in, but it just won’t! I feel like I will be feeling confident going into the Games, but I just want to enjoy every moment of it. It’s so nice that this event is going to be the first where I get a GB vest”.

That statement is not one many people can say. The journey is just beginning.

Photo: James Rhodes

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