����ý

Phoebe Gill is expecting a "ton of fun" in Paris when she represents Team GB in the 800m at her first Olympic Games.

Aged 17, she will be the youngest British track athlete to take part in the Games for more than 40 years.

Following her win at the recent British Championships, Tokyo 1500m silver medallist Laura Muir described the youngster as an "amazing talent".

And Gill told ����ý Look East: "There were a lot of people in the media saying, 'can she do it?' 'Will she be able to cope?', and I'm so glad I did because it makes me feel I can cope with anything now."

She clocked a personal best of 1:57.86 in Belfast in May, setting a new European Under-18 record in the process.

And she followed that up by beating Jemma Reekie into second place at the trials in Manchester in a time of 1:58.66. Reekie was also second in the 800m at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championship in Glasgow.

"I had been so stressed out that entire weekend [in Belfast], I couldn't wait to get it over with. I was so locked in the zone on that start line; I was ready and buzzing with adrenalin," said Gill, from St Albans, in Hertfordshire.

Asked what she is expecting in Paris, she replied: "A ton of fun. The hard bit is over. There's no expectation. I'm 17 coming into the Games, it's my first time with a GB vest; I just can't wait to experience it all.

"I'm starting young, so hopefully there's a few [more] coming up."

'An amazing career ahead of her'

Team GB have a number of medal prospects in the athletics squad, which will travel to the French capital ahead of the start of the Games on 26 July.

Among them is Muir, who was 23 when she went to her first Olympics in 2016.

She believes that Gill has the maturity to deal with the pressure in Paris.

Speaking in the build-up to her own British record run at the weekend Paris Diamond League meeting, she told ����ý Look East: "I've been so impressed. It's a lot to be put in the spotlight, especially in an Olympic year.

"She's so young, we hope she's got an amazing career ahead of her, but it's so difficult at that age when you have that pressure on you. I just hope she goes to the Games and really enjoys it, and if she enjoys it, I'm sure she'll perform fantastically well.

"The 800m can be run in so many different ways. It's incredibly unpredictable, which makes it difficult but also exciting to watch."

Interviews by ����ý Look East's Jonathan Park