ALL SMILES: Hannah England, pictured with Sportsbeat's Tom Reynolds, is hoping to upgrade world silver to Olympic gold
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Ultra confident England looks a good bet for a gold medal upgrade
Catergories:
Sportsbeat's Tom Reynolds talks to a Team GB medal hopeful, after he 'beat' her on the track...
WHILE letting myself and a collection of other journalists ‘beat' her during our training session at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre Hannah England suggested her lack of ego meant it wasn't a problem.
THE RACE IS ON: World Championship silver medallist Hannah England puts Sportsbeat's Tom Reynolds through his paces at Lee Valley as the GB ace helps promote the National Lottery's Olympic Park Run
For a girl with a 1500m World Championship silver medal to her name that was quite an admission and, if my interview with her later on was anything to go by, a not entirely truthful one these days.
While the 24-year-old's emergence into the national conscience was a surprising one for the armchair athletics fan - to whom London 2012 means Jessica Ennis and nothing more - for the Sportsbeat crew it was like a victory for an old friend.
Having seen England's progression through the ranks from the side of the track at the English Schools to the side of a kitchen when she was receiving a cooking lesson from TV chef Ainsley Harriott the Daegu success was a result that we'd come to expect one day.
Whether England herself had the bullish confidence to expect a global senior medal was another thing entirely. However it's clear from the calm confidence she has in her ability heading into Olympic year that the feelings about London 2012 success are a world apart from any previous timidity.
"I think I am a different person a little bit after year," said England. "It was fun to start the indoor season in Glasgow last month but I think it will really feel better when I start the outdoor season as a world medallist.
"I have got to hit the ground running and I'm excited about that. I think I'll be a bit of a different athlete on the start line this year. I think I'll be able to take a bit more of a risk in Diamond League races say because you can't look that stupid because you're a world silver medallist.
"It'll be fun to mix it up in those races and perhaps have a bit more respect from the girls when I'm racing as well. Hopefully I can build on that."
England's appearance in Lee Valley was to help spread the word about the National Lottery Olympic Park Run on March 31.
While you sense England would speak glowingly about whatever event she might be involved in promoting the five mile run around is far from a chore.
"I think it is really cool and I think the 5,000 people won't realise how lucky they are until the day," she said.
The 24-year-old will, in her own words, unfortunately be training in Florida while the race, which almost 43,000 members of the public applied for and 5,000 will run in, takes place.
Runners - who will take in the entire Olympic park on the route - are coming from as far afield as the Isle of Man, Truro and the Shetland Island but England admits Tallahassee would be a bridge too far.
That may be but she'll definitely be back in the capital for London 2012. And after seeing her serene confidence about events in the capital this week who'd bet against her turning silver into gold?
Hannah England is an ambassador for The National Lottery's Olympic Park Run which takes place on March 31. The National Lottery is contributing up to £2.2billion towards the venues and infrastructure of London 2012 as well as supporting around 1200 elite athletes to benefit from world class coaching and support. To find out more visit: www.nationallotteryrun.com
