Katarina Johnson-Thompson

“I actually hated dancing. My mum used to have to bribe me to go by buying me things. A year before I stopped going, I was going to go for an audition with the Royal Ballet. It turned out I w...”

“I was watching 'Deal or No Deal' on YouTube recently, and I bawled when the contestant won £250,000. I think I just like watching people achieve their dreams.”

“I played a lot of football, and I was a goalkeeper, but I didn't really like playing in goal.”

“It's an individual sport; you want to do well for yourself.”

“It's a huge step up from the European Indoor Championships to being world outdoor gold medallist.”

“It's a huge step up from the European Indoors to then being a gold medallist at the World Championships.”

“As a Liverpool fan, I'm an eternal optimist because of what we did in Istanbul in 2005.”

“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 training once a day, four days a week, and just loving life.”

“I always said I wanted an Olympic medal. It's the pinnacle of any athlete's career.”

“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...”

“In boxing, it's one fight, so it's easier to build up rivalries, but everyone's got huge respect for each other.”

“That people believe I can be Olympic champ, it just spurs me on.”

“I remember going down the tunnel into the Olympic Stadium and getting a glimpse of all the people and hearing all the noise, all the people shouting for us. I'd seen Usain Bolt on the warm-u...”

“I can't be disappointed with my first gold in a senior championship, and to score 5000 points, which only one other woman, the world record holder, has got over, I am satisfied.”

“Getting rid of all the world records would be a bit of a radical move.”