A biography for Katarina Johnson-Thompsonhasn’t been written yet.
“I like to balance competing with studying. It's hard work at the moment, but it could be worse.”
“Maybe I'm the kind of athlete who absorbs the atmosphere instead of trying to block it out.”
“If something is mine, then I want to keep it.”
“You don't not want to beat somebody because you're friends with them.”
“I always have a book that I write during competition. I need it with me, just to read back and reflect and look forward. If I'm feeling anxious, it helps me.”
“Every international meeting or championship I do, I can cope a lot better because I can say I did the 100 m. hurdles, opened up the athletics at an Olympic Games in front of a home crowd, 80,000 people.”
“There's a big debate whether pentathlon or heptathlon is harder: five events in one day or seven in two.”
“I used to play football with a load of lads, and I would be like a secret agent going out with a hat on so they wouldn't see my hair in a bun.”
“I'm going to trust my instincts when something's wrong.”
“In 2012, I was over the moon to be there, especially as it was our home Olympics. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I just wanted to take everything in.”
“My goal is definitely a gold medal still in Rio.”
“I've always believed in myself, and it's such a long competition over two days, you can't worry about what anyone else is doing.”
“That people believe I can be Olympic champ, it just spurs me on.”
“I've got so many big gains to make in the javelin and the shot put. I know I'm not going to be winning the field in those events, but I need to do myself justice.”
“I feel like, when I'm 100% healthy, I can do anything.”
“London 2012 was the biggest thing I will probably ever do, but I didn't realise it at the time!”
“Before training, I eat slow-release energy food, such as porridge or muesli, especially in the morning. Afterwards, I eat protein so my muscles are able to recover, such as a protein bar followed by a meal of chicken and vegetables. I always stay hydrated during workouts by drinking plenty of water throughout.”
“At primary school, it was always me and this other girl, Lauren, who would fight over who was the fastest every year. I was quicker, but for some reason, she always got the glory leg in the relay team. That used to annoy me.”
“It's getting harder as I get more known. Even though it's my break, I couldn't really go out and get drunk - because people expect you to be training and getting up early. But I'm not bothered about missing out on normal teenage things.”
“I am going to Rio with a chance of a medal.”