Jodie Williams on Paris, her third Olympics

Jodie Williams in Paris, her third Olympics

Paris was such an interesting one because it was such a different experience. For me, I’ve. I have only once been to a championship, just for a relay. Umm, it’s not something I particularly have ever enjoyed doing. And like I said, I think I’ve only ever done it once, and in any other years that I’ve had that’s unfolded, I’ve turned down the position. But for me, in 2024, nothing was going right. I was running very, very poorly throughout the season. I was really struggling mentally. Knowing that I was also coming to the end of my career, it was hard to push through to the end, especially an event as brutal as the 400.  It’s challenging to push through when it’s not going right.

And the 400 was just hurting in a way that they had never really hurt me like that before. I was having some weird symptoms going on in my body. So it was mentally challenging for me that year, even getting to the end of a 400. Every time I stood in line, I didn’t want to be there, and it was just really hard, very hard, and very painful. And again, pure grit dragged me through. I had spoken to the selectors before, and they were very much like, ‘We need to see something very, very big from you at this champs.’

I managed to pull something out of the bag enough for them to consider me, and then we ended up with that medal with all 8 girls on the podium, and it was just a unique experience. And for me, it just meant that because I was just there for a relay and I’m one of the older, more experienced athletes, it was a very different role than I’m used to playing, and it was a blessing. Honestly, it was so great to experience it from a different side. Obviously, there’s still pressure, but I knew there was less pressure on me than in an individual event, so I felt like I could give the younger athletes a little more time to be a bit more of a guide. And just to really enjoy it for myself. Honestly, it was my most enjoyable Olympics by far. So, it was a great experience and a way to close things out.

The 2020 (or really 2021) Games had been such strange ones. For me, that was – I don’t want to say closure – but it was almost an affirmation of the athlete that I always thought I was, but I had never really managed to pull it off. So much of this sport is timing and luck on your side – those things have never really been on…