Transcribe your podcast
[00:00:00]

So we'll have plenty more coverage of events this weekend. But in the meantime, Jackie's back quicker than expected with some very exciting news.

[00:00:08]

I ran into that studio like an Olympian, like a hectathlete.

[00:00:13]

There's a clue there on what's coming next.

[00:00:14]

Not really at all as fast as a hectathlete at all. Let's go live now to Team GB house in Paris and talk to Katharina Johnson, our Olympic hectathlete. She has that silver medal. Kat, you've done it. You've done it. You've got the Olympic medal, what does it feel like this morning?

[00:00:34]

Yeah, it feels like a dream, really, of course, but without sleep, probably because I have no idea sleep, it just feels like it's probably an elongated dream.

[00:00:44]

Well, it's been such a roller coaster for you, and it's been a roller coaster following you, I'm not going to lie, over four Olympics. Everyone was so happy when you finally did it last night. How did you not lose that carrot in front of you, the fact that you wanted that medal? How did you not lose the urge to go after it?

[00:01:07]

I think it's just the team you surround yourself with. I feel like when I was lacking motivation, they saw things that I didn't see, and they kept me going. And the belief that they had in me ultimately led to me having belief in myself. So I feel like I owe it all to them, really.

[00:01:25]

We had a great first day, didn't you? Really good first day of competition. It came into the second day. Talk us through your feelings going into that 800 meters, the last event last night when you knew you would have to beat Nafi Thiam by eight seconds, and it was a bit of a tall order.

[00:01:41]

I don't think anything is a tall order in athletics. You've got to give it a chance. For me, being able to have a chance at goals is just everything. When you, as a habit athlete, get into that 800 and anything's possible, I still think it was possible in that moment. That's I was really happy about that. I had that moment to try. That's what you build six events for, is to try and have that chance in the 800, personally anyway, as I put my heptathlon together. So I was really, Really happy just to be given a chance to give it my all.

[00:02:18]

We did give it your all, and you got through it. You were injury free. It's the best we've seen you at an Olympics. You seem really happy and relieved afterwards. Was there a motion that came later? We've seen a lot of athletes cry at this Olympics just because of the body of work they've put in to get to this point. Did you feel like that?

[00:02:39]

Yeah, for sure. I feel like the instant emotion that you feel is relief. And then, luckily, as Combattent eventers, we got that chance to go around the victory lap and have moments with each other and reflect and see the crowd and see all the supporters. There were so many British supporters out there last night that was making a lot of noise and able to push performances on. And then when you do that victory lap, that's when you start to get emotional. And I definitely got emotional towards the end and then during the interviews. But it's just all the emotions that have been building up the last... I don't even know where to start it from. So I'm so happy that this one ended in in a good one. It was happy tears for sure.

[00:03:21]

Yeah, absolutely. And everybody else watching you there. I think everybody else is so invested in you as well. We saw Denise Lewis, and she was crying. And Jess Ennishill, she was crying. I don't know if your boyfriend, Andrew Posse, was crying as well, but it seemed like everybody was crying for you. Could you feel that in the stadium that everybody was pulling for you?

[00:03:42]

I feel really bad that everyone was crying. That's not the emotion that I want for people. But that's why I'm happy tears is good. We're able to recognize a good moment when we have one, and that's all we want.

[00:03:58]

Yeah, absolutely. So how do you celebrate this now? I know how it goes for you guys when you win. You've got so much media. You don't really get to enjoy the moment, do you? And by yourself and with your people. So how do you celebrate with your people today, tonight? What's planned?

[00:04:16]

I'm trying my best to get to them, but you've got to come here and do these interviews first. But I'm going to celebrate with them later after my medal ceremony. I haven't got my medal yet, so hopefully that's going to be a really good evening tonight.

[00:04:34]

Oh, more tears for us to look forward to tonight when you're standing on that podium. And listen, my colleague Anna here in the studio, we won't keep you much longer because I know you're desperate to get on with your day. What do you look forward to when you've finished an Olympic cycle, a really important competition, you've finished it on a great note. Is there some meal that you think, I can treat myself now, and I don't have to think about tomorrow's training because I've got a day off? Is there anything?

[00:05:03]

Yeah. For me, I don't tend to diet too hard, but for me, it's just the freedom of being able to do what you want, when you want, and not have that schedule. So, yeah, I haven't had breakfast this morning, but normally I'd be worried about that because I'd be in training and I need to feel for my training. So it's just that freedom of I can just completely decompress and relax. But tonight I will be having pizza and wine.

[00:05:29]

And, Katerina, it's Anna here in the studio. I just wanted to quickly ask you about sleep. You said that you didn't sleep last night. Did you sleep the night before? The night between your two days of events? We were thinking about you thinking, how do you wind down? Are Did you... Have you slept at all?

[00:05:49]

Not really. I think I could count the amount of hours of sleep I've had on one hand in the last two days. I couldn't even sleep in between. We had seven hours postjavelin, pre-800, and I couldn't sleep for the life of me. I had five hours of lying down, but I didn't sleep.

[00:06:06]

Oh, my goodness. Yeah, it sounds like our life.

[00:06:08]

It sounds like I can relate, but we don't get medals at the end of it. No, we don't get medals. Nor should we. No.

[00:06:12]

But listen, try and get some sleep tonight, tomorrow. Have a nice big fat relax, have a glass of wine, whatever it is you can do now. And I hope you get to catch up with all your team and your family, and everybody can enjoy this moment with you, because let's face it, in athletics, these moments don't come around very often, and you know that better than everybody else.

[00:06:36]

Yeah, I know. I will. Thank you so much. All right.

[00:06:39]

Enjoy it. Congratulations. Congratulations. Huge congrats.

[00:06:43]

Thank you.