Born To Run

But she is honest, too: she doesn’t pretend that the years of setbacks were all fun and games. “I’d probably say there’s been three different sections or acts to my career,” she agrees. “The junior success obviously, which everyone is super aware of, and then the middle part, where I was – I don’t know if ‘lost’ is the right word, but I was just kind of struggling through injuries and not really knowing what was going on. And then kind of like a rebirth of the past couple of years, particularly the past 18 months.”

The culmination of that rebirth was, of course, the 400m final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Having experienced ‘normal’ Olympic Games at Rio in 2016, how much did she enjoy the Covid-era games? “Honestly, I really did. Perhaps it was because it was such a long process, so just to get there, just to be in the village was a relief. But I think there was also a joint sense of pride in ourselves, that we had all managed to get there, despite everything.”How did it feel to perform in empty stadiums, though – did missing that crucial buzz and rush of thousands of cheering fans make a difference? “I honestly think I’ve forgotten what it’s like!” She laughs. “Of course, I love competing in front of a big crowd; nothing quite compares to stepping out into a full stadium. And I’d have loved to experience an Olympic final in front of a full crowd – but in the moment, you don’t really notice it. You’re just so focused on what’s going on: you’re just like, ‘Okay, well, I’ve got a job to do and I’m just going to get it done.’”

She’s back in the UK for now, and when she heads back to the States, it will be to new adventures; her training setup is moving to Atlanta, which she is excited about. She also enthuses about working with Femlead, a small NGO in Uganda working to empower young women and girls through education. It’s clear when she talks about it that she’s not just a signature on a list or a picture on the website – it’s a small charity and everyone really pulls their weight: “You hear how incredibly hard these girls work, and it gives me extra motivation. If these girls can survive and keep pushing, if they’re going to go for their dreams, then who am I to not keep going for mine?” She also loves being part of the Women’s Sport Trust’s ‘Unlocked’ programme. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what it was going to be like when I signed up. But it’s just been fantastic. I think we all feel this way – to be in a group of amazing strong women, bouncing ideas off each other, hearing all their stories – it’s just been incredible.”