How did you get into race walking?

That’s the most common question I get. I started when I was 12 and my coach is Heather Warner who used to race walk. I’d see her on the track all the time in Pembrokeshire.

When I was 12, me and a friend used to run to pace her for warm-up laps, it was really hard to run ahead of her. I struggled with niggles to my knees and ankles as I was growing, and I ended up falling out of love with running as I wasn’t getting as many PBs.

If I came to the track and didn’t get a PB, I’d be fuming. Then Heather approached me to give race walking a go. Initially it was to take the pressure off running, a bit of a laugh, getting points for our club.

Then I entered my first race and won. I instantly fell in love with it, slowly switched between running to race walking and I haven’t looked back since.

Winning your first British title at 17, did that come as a shock?

As soon as I saw the start list, I went in thinking; ‘I’m going to bring home the gold medal.’ I wanted that medal.

I started competing in the British Championships three years ago at the indoor championships. At 16, I managed to get silver at the outdoor champs and then all of a sudden, I had a target on my back.

Having placed in top two, I went into the championships this year wanting the title. I had a positive head on me on the day and in the warmup, I knew what I was doing, and I wasn’t going to let anything freak me out. The track is my comfort zone, my safe haven and on that day, I was really calm and chilled, the best I’d felt going into a race for a while.

What about your Olympic dream? Is LA a realistic goal?

I need to think realistically in terms of qualifying standards and where I’m at physically cause the distance for the walks at the Olympics is 20km. Currently, I’m still walking 10k or less.

It would take a while for me to adjust how to race it, because I’ll need to learn how to take on fluids on board and little gel packets while I’m racing along with the pacing.

I’d be there right now if I could. I’m going to aim for the next one, and if not, then obviously there’s another one after it. We’ll have to play a lot of it by ear and just see what happens really.

So, what’s next? How about the Commonwealth Games?

Oh, yeah, like, I’ve told people that I’m going! Whether I’m actually going I have no idea. I’ve made it my mission, with one of my best mates. He and I have made a pact that we’re going to the Commonwealth Games together.

We’ll find a way. We’ll make them host it. It will be like a really wonderful opportunity to be able to represent Wales at a Commonwealth Games. Even though I’ve represented Wales so many times now, I still get that massive feeling of pride when I have to wear the Welsh vest. 

I remember the first time wearing that vest. I still get that giddy feeling of being 15 and sitting in Derby on that track. I think it’s really wholesome.

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