Rising British heptathlon star Katarina Johnson-Thompson insists she is not feeling the pressure despite being labelled as the heir apparent to London Olympic gold-medallist Jess Ennis.
The 20-year-old burst on to the scene in London last year when she came home in 15th place at the Olympics, as Ennis claimed gold on Super Saturday.
Ennis has already said that she expects Johnson-Thompson, who broke her British junior heptathlon record, to overtake her, but the Liverpool Harrier maintains that she has no intention of being seen as Ennis’ successor.
She said: “I don’t think there is any pressure on me. I want to win medals for myself. I don’t want to be someone else.
“People saw me at the Olympics so I don’t know whether they expect me to do well this year.
“But I am only 20 and it’s hard to win medals at this age. You have got to be strong in every event. As long as I progress each year I will be happy with myself.
“I reckon I have another eight years in the sport so if I win medals in 2016 and 2020, I won’t complain.
“Some athletes may have said now the Olympics are over ‘what else is there to do in life’?
“For me, it’s a strange thing to say. I got very addicted to performing. I just want to do that more. So when I came away from the Games I just wanted to train all the time.”
© Sportsbeat 2013