Three months ago Phoebe Gill was expecting to spend the summer holidays preparing for the final year of her A-levels. Now, incredibly, the 17-year-old from St Albans has a genuine shot at an Olympic 800m medal after knocking four seconds off her personal best in May and then winning the British Championships in June.
It is all reminiscent of Emma Raducanu’s thrilling rise over the summer of 2021 and Gill admits she is hoping to draw inspiration from the tennis star, who also juggled academic success with bursting into the public eye.
“Definitely,” she said. “A lot of people find it difficult, and often drop out of their sport because of their career or academics. But I do think that going to training is such a nice break from looking at books all day.
“I’m doing A-levels in biology, chemistry and maths. Sixth form has been a blessing for my athletics because I have free periods now where I’m allowed to go out and train.”
After Gill blasted into the mainstream by setting a European under-18 record of 1:57.86 in Belfast in May, she cried on the plane home because it had been her dream to run under two minutes.
But the highs kept coming when she became the youngest British track and field athlete to reach the Olympics since the 16-year-old Linsey Macdonald qualified for the 1980 Games in Moscow.
“The Monday after British champs I was back at my old primary school doing work experience, helping the reception class,” she said, smiling. “Being with the little kids after such a stressful but fun weekend was a really nice way to come back down to earth.”
Remarkably, Gill’s first Olympic memory only came at London 2012 when her family dragged her out to watch the hockey. She does not recall enjoying it too much but when she was 14 she stayed up until 2am to see Keely Hodgkinson win a world 800m silver.
“It was unforgettable,” she said. “To think I’m running on this stage is unbelievable. I can’t wait.”
Gill also credits Hodgkinson for reaching out to her when she qualified for the Olympics in Manchester. “She’s such a lovely person,” she said. “She spoke to me after the trials and I was trying not to fangirl because I’ve been looking up to her for so long. To see she’s in such great form makes me really excited to run alongside her.”
Could Gill win a medal? The bookies make her third favourite for gold, behind Hodgkinson and the world champion, Mary Moraa, but Gill says that she just wants to have fun and run fast.
“It’s easy to say I’m coming in with no expectations but I think every athlete always puts some goals in their head,” she says. “For me it’s just to progress through as many rounds as possible and to have fun and run with freedom. I know that’s when I start to excel.”
Whatever happens, Gill promises to document all her experiences on social media. “I think I could have a lot of words of wisdom to say coming out of these Games and hopefully there’s a few more down the line,” she adds. “I can’t wait to share.”
