After reaching the semi-finals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, taking a bronze at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, silver at the World Indoor Championships in Doha, and bronze at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona this year, Jenny Meadows is tipped for a medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
2010 has been a difficult year for Jenny with her achilles injury, and the European bronze medallist has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games and Berlin because her team felt that these competitions could be a step too far.
But Jenny has the 2012 London Olympics in her sights. She knows that a medal in London would be extraordinary and she already knows exactly what she needs to do to get close to stepping onto the podium: “I am going to have to be able to run something like one minute 56 seconds to win a medal in London and that is what I am working towards.
“So much of it is about confidence and having won two medals at global events, I now have that confidence. I know how to win medals. I know that not necessarily the best three athletes on the day win the medals.
“A race can be very tactical, medals can be won in a very slow race, and I relish the challenge. I would not want to win a medal against easy competition as I feel that that would devalue it. I know the public appreciate a true race and so do I.
“If I can do well and get on international podiums between now and 2012 then I know I will be able to look forward to London and, hopefully, do myself justice.”