Teenager runs over two seconds quicker than Jess Warner-Judd’s 12-year-old mark of 4:14.21 at the BMC Watford Gold Standard meet
Phoebe Gill, the 16-year-old runner who impressed over 800m at the recent English Schools Track and Field Championships (July 1), has now set a UK U17 1500m record.
The St Albans based athlete clocked 4:11.96 at the BMC Watford Gold Standard meet on Wednesday (July 12) and saw off fellow teenage prodigy Innes FitzGerald, who ran a personal best of her own in 4:15.04.
That 4:11.96 is astonishingly more than two seconds quicker than Jess Warner-Judd’s previous under-17 record of 4:14.21, set in 2011.
It’s another achievement for Gill who in the last month has become England under-20 and English Schools inter girls 800m champion.
Gill ran 2:03.12 in Birmingham – just outside of her personal best of 2:03.10 – and it was the third time in as many months she had recorded 2:03 over the distance.
That time put her third on the UK under-17 800m all-time list behind Jo White and Warner-Judd. In the 1500m though, she is now at the top of the tree for her age group.
Phoebe Gill (Andy Cox)
“It’s been a great season so far,” Gill told AW, in an exclusive interview at the English Schools Championships. “After cross country I was left with a bit of a calf injury. I started the 800s to build some speed up for the 1500m and I’ve been consistent. Running 2:03 was a good time.
“I’ve always been a swimmer and that’s helped with the running. My PE teacher at primary school told me to go to a friendly cross country meet and I found out I was pretty good. I started with that and then transitioned to the track. The stamina you get from it is great.”
Gill studies the sport quite a bit and is inspired by the likes of Keely Hodgkinson, stating that she has watched a lot of her races and that Hodgkinson “is mentally amazing”.
“Mentally, she’s just an amazing athlete. I’ve watched a lot of her races.”
Meet 16-year-old star Phoebe Gill, who clocked a @SchoolAthletics champs 800m record of 2:03.13 to win the Inter Girls title 💥
She also states she’s inspired by @keelyhodgkinson 🇬🇧
🎙️ @TimAdams76 pic.twitter.com/ugG4IbGOnB
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 1, 2023
The next step is to branch out to international level and represent Great Britain at junior championships.
“On the track I’m a gun to tape runner and I go out quite quick,” she added, off the back of a scintillating 57.6 first 400m in Birmingham. “However, I look at the tactics for heats and finals and you have to be smart about it, following what they [elite runners] do.
“I’d love to experience international meets and really enjoy it. Sometimes it’s hard and it’s a very big mental challenge to race so it’s about getting more insight to tackle races and championships over the next few years.”
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