Heptathlete has drawn inspiration from Jessica Ennis-Hill plus present coaching companion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, writes Stuart Weir.
Keep in mind Tremendous Saturday on the 2012 London Olympics, when three British athletes – Jess Ennis, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah – gained gold medals within the area of simply 45 minutes? A 12-year-old woman in Oxford couldn’t take her eyes off the TV display. Quick ahead 12 years and that Kidlington woman was within the Paris Olympic Stadium however this time she was competing. She describes herself as “a part of the 2012 legacy”.
Jade O’Dowda was so passionate about athletics that she requested her mother and father if she may have a strive. She began going to Metropolis of Oxford two evenings every week and located it enjoyable. She remembers being “a part of a bunch of youngsters doing about 4 occasions each night time with a little bit of working on the finish simply to tire you out”.
She remembers the Oxford Metropolis chairman telling her mother and father that they had been frightened about her as a result of irrespective of how a lot they requested her to do, they by no means appeared capable of tire her!
Oxford Metropolis was actually essential to her growth as was assembly Marcia Marriott, who talked to her about heptathlon. And as Ennis had been her inspiration, it appeared a pure development to begin heptathlon.
O’Dowda provides that because the junior programme concerned a little bit of hight and lengthy bounce throwing and working, all of which she loved, heptathlon was an apparent selection.
Her first recorded competitions had been in 2012 – an 800m and an extended bounce. By 2013 she was trying and profitable a pentathlon. By 2017 she was competing the World Underneath-20 Championships.
After college she took a level in geography and a grasp’s in worldwide relations in Sheffield, linking up with present coach, John Lane. After Uni she turned an expert athlete, as she put it: “I feel 12-year-old me would have by no means have thought that she’d have the ability to become profitable from it.”
From then on it was regular progress:2022: Commonwealth Video games bronze, European Championship 7th2024: Olympic Video games tenth, European Championship 7th2025: European Indoors 4th, World Champs 8th
Twelve years after being impressed by the London Olympics, she discovered herself within the Paris Olympics. “It was unbelievable, fairly daunting strolling out for hurdles (her first occasion),” she stated. “I hadn’t gone to the stadium beforehand and I keep in mind being stood within the tunnel earlier than my hurdles race after which I walked out and I feel my mouth simply dropped.
“I felt like I used to be within the backside of this cauldron with a great deal of folks watching me. And yeah, I simply keep in mind wanting round and pondering, how the hell has little Jade obtained right here?”
To complete 10th within the Olympics left her with combined emotions: a tremendous expertise but understanding that if she had not been injured for a lot of the yr, she may have accomplished higher.
She describes 2025 as “a very good yr” however there once more there’s a tinge of frustration. Fourth within the European Indoor pentathlon – so near medal however not fairly.
The ultimate occasion is the 800m and he or she simply wanted to be somewhat sooner for the medal. Winter accidents had left her in need of 800m endurance coaching “and it confirmed,” she says, “it was irritating as a result of I do know I am able to doing extra and I am a bit gutted that I wasn’t capable of present it. It was like dangling a carrot in entrance that I simply missed. As pissed off as I used to be, I used to be capable of take so much from it”.
She feels “very fortunate” to have KJT as a team-mate, explaining: “It is actually cool. I suppose selfishly, I’ve had somewhat little bit of a entrance row seat to the previous, two years. The best way yearly, nonetheless her yr has gone, that she’s been capable of come and present up and get a medal, particularly in heptathlon is wonderful.
“Doing it myself and understanding how onerous it’s, I feel it does get somewhat bit underappreciated how yearly, yearly she’s turned up and he or she’s obtained us a medal. She’s positively such an inspiration. After we’re competing, I’ve a lot enjoyable along with her too, in between rounds, generally we’re laughing and joking in between occasions.
“So it is good to see, how she’s capable of be so relaxed and enjoyable, however nonetheless be such this fierce competitor. And I feel I am not saying by any implies that, she almost scored 7000 factors and is a two-time world champion multi-global medallist, however I am somewhat bit far off that now, however I feel by seeing it with my very own eyes, like actually proper in entrance of me, it form of makes it really feel attainable. So for egocentric causes, that is the largest factor, but additionally it is simply been actually enjoyable.”
O’Dowda is already into winter coaching and feeling assured for 2026, which is a giant yr for GB athletes with a World Indoors in Poland in March, a Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow and European Championships in Birmingham.
The 2025 season is the primary yr for just a few years that she has completed a season harm free and is due to this fact capable of begin winter coaching wholesome, too.
