British teen sensation Phoebe Gill, 17, storms to victory in 800m final at UK Championships to secure her place at the Paris Olympics
- The St Albans athlete showed maturity beyond her years and was able to win comfortably
- Gill will take part in the European U-18 Championship a week before Paris
- Those plans may have to change now that she has booked her place in the British team
Another Olympic summer, another British teenage sensation making waves in the women’s 800 metres.
Three years ago it was 19-year-old Keely Hodgkinson who burst onto the scene and won a memorable silver medal at Tokyo 2020.
This time it’s 17-year-old Phoebe Gill who won the British Championships on Sunday, securing her place in the British team for Paris 2024.
The St Albans athlete showed maturity beyond her years to comfortably beat experienced Jemma Reekie in the 800m final in Manchester in a time of 1 minute 58.66 seconds.
And Hodgkinson, the favourite for the Olympic gold medal, stood there watching in amazement from the sidelines, smiling: ‘She reminds me a bit of myself.’
Phoebe Gill stormed to victory at the British Championships to secure a place at the Paris Olympics
The St Albans athlete showed maturity beyond her years to take victory in Machester
Gill is set to compete in the Under-18 European Championships in Slovakia, just a week before the Olympics. However, those plans may have to change now that she has booked her Eurostar seat to Paris.
“I still feel like I’m in a dream,” admitted Gill, who still doesn’t have a sponsor, though that will change later this week. “It’s just unbelievable that this is happening. It’s like a whirlwind.
‘I can’t even believe I’m going to the Olympics, so I can’t even tell you what I want to achieve there. Just the fact that I’m going is incredible to me.
“I woke up at 2am to watch Keely in the 800m in Tokyo. She is such an inspiration. I can’t believe I just met her.”
Amazingly, Gill’s personal best of 1:57.86 is more than five seconds faster than Hodgkinson at the same age. That time, which she ran in Belfast in May, broke a 45-year-old European U18 record and is the ninth best in the world this year. And all this from a girl who is still in the first year of sixth form, studying A-levels in biology, chemistry and maths.
“I have finals coming up,” said Gill, who was cheered on by her parents wearing “Run Phoebe” T-shirts. “I’m supposed to repeat this weekend, but that’s not going to happen!”
Hodgkinson, who finished seventh in Sunday’s 400m final with her 800m Paris spot already secure, joked: ‘I’m a veteran now at 22! It will be nice to have Phoebe on the team. She is amazing.
‘I don’t want to put any pressure on her, but I think she is certainly at the top of the list in terms of reaching the Olympic finals, if things go in the right direction. I have a feeling great things are going to happen.”
Three years ago it was a 19-year-old Keely Hodgkinson who burst onto the scene in Tokyo
There was drama in the men’s 800m final yesterday when world 1500m champion Josh Kerr and Elliot Giles collided in the straight and fell to the ground. Ben Pattison and Max Burgin finished first and second to qualify for the Games.
In the men’s 1500m, George Mills – son of former England footballer Danny – secured his place in Paris after finishing second to Neil Gourley. That result makes it almost impossible for 2022 world champion Jake Wightman, who missed the events through injury, to be selected for the Olympic Games in the 1500m.
Earlier, Dina Asher-Smith won the 200 metres and world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson proved her form and fitness by running 23:20 seconds in the 200 metre heats, her fastest time in five years.