Although Beijing was a difficult one to watch, I would say it was the most exciting World Championships that I have ever seen. Athletes favoured to win titles were knocked out in qualifying rounds, with fresh new blood coming through onto the athletics scene. Drama ensued in almost every discipline keeping the viewers on the edge of their seats.
As a team, we did brilliantly. Mo, Jess and Greg followed up their Super Saturday performances at the 2012 Olympics with more bling from the world stage. It's so inspiring to watch people compete at the top of their game and continue to dominate. Already, they are legends in my eyes but Rio 2016 could create an extraordinarily special opportunity.
It was terrific to see novices on the GB team, shine bright on the biggest stage. Oskan-Clarke (800m) made her first global championships, ran a personal best to see her through to the final (by almost 3 seconds!!), then backed that performance up with another brilliant run to come 5th! Anything can happen on the day; the podium is far from being set in stone!
Another stand out performance for me, was watching Holly Bleasdale return to competition in the pole vault. Holly is world-class, there is no doubt about it, but after having to take almost 18 months out of competition with spinal surgery, it was amazing to see her competing against the best. It was another achievement that gave me a little more hope. Injuries are frustrating but it's important to remain focussed on the final goal – competing.
Our hammer thrower, Sophie Hitchon, is less well known throughout athletics. The hammer isn't included in the Diamond League series so many of the competitors remain largely unheard of, which is completely unfair. Sophie did GB proud, throwing a personal best, TWO national records and was only centimetres off gaining a bronze medal! It really was an outstanding performance which I hope gets the recognition it truly deserves.
Beijing was hugely positive for the GB squad and this forward momentum will only help, going towards Rio next year and into London 2017. London offers another opportunity for us to experience a home games. The memories from 2012 will always remain vivid and it was a great stepping stone and learning experience. However, I don't want 2017 for the experience, I aim to be competitive and return to the world stage once more.
