“I Was Struggling”: Mourning Father’s Death, Track and Field Star Opens Up on Paris Olympics Dream

British track and field athlete Hannah Nuttall has been amping herself up for chasing Olympic glory. With full enthusiasm and an optimistic mindset, Hannah has been training on track to clinch the gold in the upcoming Olympic Games representing Great Britain. To qualify for the Olympics, she first needs to run the Olympic 5000-meter qualifying time of 14:52.00. Nuttall is already just over 11 seconds off the mark compared to her performance from last season. But her story is a bit different.

It is not only the fame or bringing glory to the country that drives the middle-distance sprinter Hannah. Rather, she has a strong internal drive to meet the Olympic-certified standards as she intends to pay tribute to her late father.

Nuttall’s drive to honor her father in the Paris Olympics

Taking to its official X handle, AthleticsWeekly shared a post featuring some captivating insights from Hannah Nuttall’s interview. When asked by the interviewer, she delved into how she dealt with the death of her father mentally, and how making her dad, John Nuttall, proud is her primary focus to qualify for the Paris Olympics. According to the post caption, she replied, “I feel like he was the one person when I was struggling who believed in me. He believed I could get the Olympic qualifying standard going into Paris.”

Hannah was asked, how she aligned herself to the loss of her father. Explaining the situation, she said, “It’s been super difficult dealing with my something that I’m slowly coming to terms with. My training is improving but it did definitely take a hit.” Therefore, she has made up her mind about something: “It’s why I’ve not wanted to really put any pressure on myself this season, enjoy it and make him proud as well.”

Nuttal’s father and Former Olympic runner and Commonwealth Games medallist, John Nuttall unexpectedly passed away because of a heart attack in November 2023. Not only family, but his death stunned the whole sports community. In the latest interview, she expressed her gratitude for the massive support she received back then from the sporting community. But what helped her to gather the relevant experience to face the Olympic test?

Putting together all the experiences for the Olympics

Part of her drive to give her best in Paris comes from her valuable experience at the World Indoors, where she finished 12 in the 3000m final. She took to describe it as a learning opportunity, wherein the 26-year-old expressed how racing in front of the British crowd has triggered her enthusiasm to give her best at the Olympics.

Read more: Months After Having the Worst Season, American Athlete Grabs National Title at USATF Indoor Championship

At the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston on February 9, Nuttall set a new personal best in the 5000m with an outright time of 15:03.39. In that effort, she improved her time by 13 seconds from her previous best time of 15:16.92 over the distance in the indoor realm. She expressed her happiness over the fact that she ran close to 15 minutes in that race. But what about the Olympic qualifying time?

Hannah said, “I didn’t have the best preparation going into the indoor season…I couldn’t have done anything more on that day but in a couple of months I hope I can get close to that Olympic qualifying standard.” She will put herself to the test in a 1 km time trial this next weekend at the SportsShoes.com Podium Festival On March 16.

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