17-year-old Team GB athlete from Hertfordshire shares her excitement ahead of Paris 2024
Phoebe Gill qualified only last month after an impressive win in middle distance running at the British championship
Last updated 25th Jul 2024
One of Team GB's youngest athletes headed into the 2024 Paris Olympics is 17-year-old Phoebe Gill, a promising name on the athletics team.
Phoebe, who grew up and still lives and trains in St Albans, qualified only last month after an impressive win in the women's 800m middle distance run at the British Championship.
She described her recent success as surreal. "It's just starting to sink in," she said.
Phoebe's running journey began in primary school when her PE teacher encouraged her to join a local athletics club. Initially a cross-country runner, she found her passion for middle-distance running, particularly the 800 meters and its tactical nature.
She soon reached a competitive level at the age of 12. Only five years later, she becomes one of the youngest aiming for gold on the British team.
She said: "It's been a lot of hard work, with many hours of training and a focus on both physical and mental preparation. Seeing it all pay off is incredibly gratifying."
Like for many athletes, reaching the highest level of a discipline is a balancing act, in her case managing her training with her academic responsibilities and social life.
She said: "It's about scheduling and having supportive friends and family who understand my commitments."
"My family, who often drive me to and from competitions, and my coaches at St. Albans have been incredible, their support, both physically and psychologically, has been essential."
When asked whether she had already faced barriers in her career, Phoebe opened up about suffering from RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport), a condition linked to calorie deficit which can often affect female athletes, and can result in bone damage.
She said: "I struggled with RED-S I would say a year and a half ago, which is when when you don't have a period and it can affect your bone porosity and early onset osteoporosis, and I think this really helped me thrive this year actually because I got really into my nutrition."
"I'm such an advocate for girls and boys to be really fuelling their bodies and be in an energy balance rather than a calorie deficit because it's so important that we, as women, are having regular cycles as we're training."
Phoebe will be competing against world champions in her discipline, alongside fellow Team GB athletes, in her first Olympic Games.