Katarina Johnson-Thompson: After the Olympics, I don't care where I compete. I just want to go out there and do it again
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Katarina Johnson-Thompson talks to Laura Williamson about training in the cold, a hiccup in the hurdles and getting back inside the Olympic Stadium again.
‘I’m in full-time training now, so it’s a lot easier than trying to fit lectures around university work,' says the 20-year-old.
‘There’s a lot less stress on me and my coach because we have the freedom to do sessions when we want to do them. I’m finding it a lot easier, but it doesn’t feel like a job. It’s just what I do, and I enjoy it. My coach has bought me a load of DVDs to keep me amused when I’m not training, so I’m working my way through them as well.’
Bright hope: Katarina Johnson-Thompson broke Jess Ennis' British junior record in May last year by 97 points
Johnson-Thompson, who finished 15th in the summer, said: ‘Everyone was saying about the Olympic hangover and stuff but it’s given me a lot of motivation to carry on and experience that feeling again. I don’t care where it is: in London in July, Russia for the World Championships or Rio 2016. I just want to go out there and do it again. I haven’t felt any sort of comedown at all after London 2012. I had two months off because I sprained my ankle a bit and, when the time came to come back, I was raring to go.
‘The indoor season wasn’t my main focus, but I think I picked the worst event to run at the British Grand Prix in Birmingham. I ran in the 60 metre hurdles and, while I’m an all right hurdler for a heptathlete, it was a world-class field and I was always going to trail in last. The reception I got from the crowd was lovely, though, and, considering I watched the indoor Grand Prix last year on television, maybe it was not so bad.
Red letter day: Johnson-Thompson set three personal bests in London on her way to a 15th place finish
Give us a hurl: Johnson-Thompson goes for a personal best in a stunning red number
Hurdle heart-throb: Johnson-Thompson takes timeout from training to pose
‘I’ve been working a lot on my shot and javelin technique over the winter as I know I have to get my throws up to scratch. I’ve completely reworked the way I throw the shot and am trying not to use my hips as much. I’m still in hard training and it’s all about preparing for the summer, which will start for me this year in Gotzis. Jess Ennis won’t be there this year as she’s getting married, but it doesn’t matter – it will tell me where I am in my preparations for the European Under-23 Championships in Finland in July and then UK trials for the World Championships in Moscow in August.
‘I would love to do the long jump at the London Anniversary Games, the Diamond League meeting inside the Olympic Stadium in July, as well. I would just love to compete inside that stadium again, and I hope events like that keep people interested in athletics.
On her marks: A gold medal in the long jump in the World Junior Championships in Barcelona last year propelled her into the Olympics
‘I train at home in Liverpool most of the time, although sometimes I go to Manchester to use the English Institute of Sport facilities. There will be no warm weather training for me this year, unfortunately! My coach said I could go to Tenerife but it didn’t work out with the people I train with, so it would have been a bit intense. UK Athletics are running a camp in the States soon but I think we’ll use the opportunity to go and train at Loughborough while it’s quiet instead. I certainly won’t be looking at Facebook during that time as I’ll be so jealous of my mates in America!’
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2300157/Katarina-Johnson-Thompson-After-Olympics-I-dont-care-I-compete-I-just-want-again.html#ixzz2Orthgcf3
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