How did you get in to running?

I started running at school, got in to it just through PE, then I went to running club then when I was about 13 I joined Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers in North London. I loved to run and would go down the track twice a week.

Did you take part in lots of competitions through school?

We would take part in the different athletics leagues and that’s when I realised I just love competing, because you get in to your training but it can sometimes become a little bit boring, but then you get to go and compete in your district, then your county, and I really loved that, that really motivated me to train because I really wanted to win all my races.

Was competition important to your development through school?

Definitely, it’s one thing being the best in your school but then going on and beating kids from other schools makes it really exciting and from there the competitions just grew and grew.

How do you cope with living in an athlete village around the events?

I love the athletes’ village, the atmosphere is fantastic, it really gets you psyched and gets the buzz going and you get to see all the other athletes from all over the world. It’s a really interesting place too, they have things like the business centre, chapels and you see how other world class athletes live as well. It’s great fun.

Do you do any coaching at all?

I live quite near Newham, the 2012 borough, and I go down to the track with my coach and we encourage some of the hopefuls for 2012 there, especially the girls in both the 800 and 1500m. I think it’s important for them to see that I’m just normal and like them, grew up in London and took it from there. I try to look at their work ethic too as I think when you’re young you take a lot of things for granted naturally, but it’s that learning experience, so if they can have someone that they hopefully respect as I’m not too old yet, then we can look to bridge that gap between gold medallists and the kids that are just starting.

What advice would you give to anyone taking part in UKSG?

Go for it, it’s a fantastic opportunity. Unfortunately I didn’t get to run in anything like that but it sounds great. It will probably seem a little daunting to begin with, but as long as they continue to work hard, stay focused and believe in themselves, take each round as it comes and keep going until the final.