• London Olympics 2012

England relieved to break through mental block

ESPN staff
September 8, 2011
Hannah England was a surprise silver medallist in Daegu © Getty Images
Enlarge

World Championships silver medallist Hannah England believes she is finally over the mental hurdle that was preventing her fulfilling her potential.

Two years after being left in tears having been left out of the Great Britain team, England stormed to second in the 1500 metres - despite being seventh as she entered the final straight.

And she attributes her success to a new positivity in her thinking, which was coaxed out of her by UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee and sports psychologist Jennifer Savage.

"It's strange the way you put limits on yourself mentally and I have managed to get rid of those this year," England told the Times. "It's amazing the relief and positivity I have felt as a result. Jennifer's great at questioning what you're afraid of and where the anxiety is coming from. For me it was a fear of letting people down or being overwhelmed.

"She made me say it out loud and, when I did, it sounded daft. I had struggled to differentiate between Hannah the person and Hannah the athlete. Because I'm not a particularly boastful person, I would say: 'If everything goes my way then maybe it will be OK,' but you can't be polite and modest when you're racing."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices