Phoebe Gill: “Running is my safety net”

The 17-year-old exceeded expectations in 2024 by reaching the Olympics and explains why she wants to keep having fun on the track for as long as possible

Walking through the curtains and on to the purple track at the Stade de France is a feeling that Phoebe Gill will never forget. Staring into the vastness of the arena and about to tackle the biggest race of her life, the 17-year-old spared a glance at the thousands of people stacked up all around her. 

“It was an indescribable thing,” she says. “On the start line of the [800m] heats, I almost teared up when I saw my face on the big screen. I was so overwhelmed and just so proud of myself that I’d made the Olympics.” 

It was an understandable reaction, given that she was the youngest British track athlete to compete at the Games in 40 years, but Gill is blessed with the maturity of someone twice her age and she soon switched back to focusing on the job in hand. 

After taking a few deep breaths and a dose of self-talk, she set off over two laps and soon began to comprehend the magnitude of the occasion. 

With the top three going through automatically, Gill sat third as the halfway mark was reached in a speedy 57.6. At 600m she was fourth but mustered all the strength and willpower that had got her to the Paris startline in the first place, producing a fine closing 200m to secure her semi-final spot. 

The St Albans AC athlete went on to finish fourth at the next stage, just missing on the final, and after that race the accumulation of everything that had built up over the previous months came to a head. The tears flowed. 

“I was proud of myself to cope with the pressure and feeling of an Olympics,” she says. “When you’re going on to the start line, you don’t want to focus on the noise or people and you’re blocking everything out. However, after the race you take everything in. That was such an incredible feeling. 

“You know, it’s funny. The Olympics is the pinnacle of athletics but I still couldn’t comprehend how big it actually was. Paris was decorated with so many banners and each country had their own building in the village. It was very easy to get exhausted before even racing. Nothing prepared me for that, even when speaking to athletes about their experiences. 

“In the end, I did everything that I wanted to at the Games. I didn’t care about personal bests, getting to the final or a medal, it was just about the experience.”