“After I stop competing, I'd like to do something that inspires people to get active and fit.”

“As soon as I had a child, he became the priority. Now, I fit my training around him. I've changed as an athlete.”

“Being a mother changes perspective. Things that were once really important, the sole focus of your life, aren't the same.”

“From 15 or 16, I always wanted to be an Olympic champion, but I don't think you ever believe it until it actually happens.”

“I dislike conflict, so I do try and steer clear of arguments. Apart from with my coach. Who I literally have an argument with every day.”

“I don't know how long my body will allow me to compete, but I can't imagine doing anything else. That day will come, and I just hope there'll be a light shining down a path telling me where to go.”

“I don't wear strappy tops. Everyone feels self-conscious about something on their body. It's just finding a style that works for you, and I don't really suit strappy tops or dresses, so I avoid them.”

“I get my competitive edge from my mum. When we're together, we're competitive about little things - it'll be, 'I can bake cakes better than you can.' But she's never been a pushy parent; she's always just supported me.”

“I have always been small and one of the smallest heptathletes out there. And earlier in my career, I was faced with coaches and athletes who felt I was too small to be a multi-eventer. It gives you a push to show you can do it.”

“I love being part of campaigns and events that are working with kids and just sharing my personal experiences.”

“I love championships. That's when I want to be at my best. I love those environments. It brings the best out of me.”

“I sit down with my coach to watch past performances. But I can be very critical. I don't watch myself very often - it makes me cringe!”

“I started training again four months after giving birth, and it was strange not to be fully in control - I'm so used to my body performing at a certain level, but it wasn't. I was like, 'Oh, man, can we go back to where we were, please?'”

“I started training with school friends and, one by one, they all dropped out. When we became teenagers, it seemed more exciting to go shopping at weekends. My mum told me not to worry about what my friends were doing and to stick at it.”

“I think, now that I am a mother, I look at other mums like Jo Pavey and just mums that go back to work and work incredibly hard, and I have so much admiration and appreciation for how hard it is.”

“I think that's one of the first things you'd say if you met me: that I am just nice and smiley. And that's how I might appear when I'm not competing. But I'm totally different when it comes to sport. It's just something that seems to be within me. It's not external or visual. But it's within me.”

“I'm so impatient. I can't even stand waiting for a cab, and I'm always early for everything. In training, it means I want to run my personal best every session - but it takes time.”

“I've always known what I wanted. I've always wanted to be on top of that podium.”

“I've always said that you're obviously doing something right if you have got pressure on you.”

“Motherhood has changed me as a person. I'm much happier and very content with life. That can only transfer positively to the track. It will make me a better athlete.”

“Some athletes feel they have to show they're confident and talk about what they're going to achieve. I don't think there's anything wrong with just quietly believing in yourself and just getting on with it. You don't have to talk about it all the time; you want your performances to show for it.”

“The closer I get to retirement, the more I feel it will be a huge change, a shock, because athletics has been the core of my whole life. I know I'll miss the feeling of running fast, the adrenaline rush, and hearing the crowd cheering me on.”

“There is a need to be the best you can be. You can't panic; you concentrate. When I run up to the hurdles, I'm very nervous, but I'll tend to think about technical things to keep my mind focused.”

“To be confident going out and performing, I need to be with my son for as long as possible; then I know I'm happy, and he's happy, and I can go out and put all my energy into performing.”

“With athletics, you put all that training in for only two major championships a year and the Olympics every four years. So when you get on top of the podium, it is relief and excitement and... Oh! it has all been worthwhile... the hard work, the sacrifices.”