The teenager became UK 800m champion in Manchester and therefore made the GB Olympic team
If you hadn’t heard of Phoebe Gill before the UK Athletics Championships (June 29-30), then you have now.
The 17-year-old produced a stunning performance to win the 800m final, clocking 1:58.66 and securing her spot at the Olympics.
In doing so, Gill became the youngest British track and field Olympian since 16-year-old Lindsay MacDonald qualified for the 1980 Games in Moscow.
Gill, who set a European under-18 record of 1:57.86 at the Belfast Irish Milers Meet (May 11), has now run under two minutes in the 800m on three occasions this season.
The other mark was the 1:58.07 she recorded at the British Milers Club Grand Prix in Manchester (May 25), a BMC all-comers’ record.
The teenager has a history of front running, with her first laps in Belfast and Manchester being 56.56 and 54.95 respectively.
At the UK Championships, Gill never intended to run the final gun to tape but went through the bell in 59.78 and looked immense in the final 100m.
Phoebe Gill and Ciara Mageean (James Rhodes)
The fact she held off Jemma Reekie, who finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics 800m final and claimed a world indoor silver medal over the distance back in March, is nothing short of remarkable.
Gill also beat Ciara Mageean – the newly crowned European 1500m champion – at the BMC Grand Prix two months ago, on the very same track she claimed the UK 800m title.
The 17-year-old hasn’t just produced times that have made others sit up and take notice but has also seen off major global medallists.
“I’ve not processed it [qualifying for Olympics],” Gill told AW, immediately after becoming UK 800m champion. “It’s crazy, I can’t believe I’m in this situation.
“I was just focusing on the European under-18 Championships or maybe the World under-20s but the fact I can go to the senior level event [Olympics] that everyone dreams of is crazy.
“It’s every young athlete’s dream to say that they are an Olympian. I got so emotional back at the track when it happened and I can’t even describe it. I know I keep saying it but it is a dream come true.”
Phoebe Gill (Getty)
Such an achievement at that age is the culmination of a lot of hard work from both Gill and her team over many years.
The Brit, who has been at St Albans AC since the age of 12, is coached by Deborah Steer and has an excellent support system of family and friends behind her.
Unsurprisingly, the…
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