Phoebe Gill is already making waves in the world of athletics, and her coach has helped her believe that there is so much more to come.

The 16-year-old prospect is guided by Deborah Steer at St Albans Athletic Club and is starting to reap the rewards after smashing Jess Warner-Judd’s previous under-17 1500m record by two seconds at the BMC Watford Gold Standard meet.

That was the latest triumph on a long list of achievements that have catapulted Gill to the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, where she will compete in the 800m.

And despite a glittering age-grade career, Gill's coach has made sure that she knows this is only just the start.

"The best piece of advice I have ever received was from my coach Deborah Steer," she said.

"She told me that I am a young athlete and that I am only 16 years old, and that I have got my entire journey in front of me.

"It means I am allowed to struggle and I am allowed to have highs and lows because, at the end of the day, every single competition I do is just a training race for the bigger events when I am older.

"So it does not matter if I struggle now at my age.

"She has played a massive role in developing me as an athlete, I owe all my gratitude and thanks to her.

"She has been completely supportive in my journey and she is not a pushy coach at all."

Gill has made as big an impact in the 800m in 2023 as she has in the 1500m.

The exciting middle-distance prospect became England under-20 and English Schools inter girls 800m champion in June.

Gill ran 2:03.12 at English schools in Birmingham, while her personal best of 2:03.10 makes her the third fastest female UK under-17 800m runner ever.

And she is in illustrious company, currently positioned behind Jo White and Commonwealth Games star Warner-Judd.

However, despite her limitless potential, Gill is not pushing herself too hard and is focused on enjoying her sport.

"I think not being pushy is really important for young athletes developing because it avoids burnout," she said.

"Deborah is just extremely motivating and has always motivated me to stick with the sport.

"It is extremely important to have someone to encourage you and to motivate you because a lot of parents don't have that background knowledge in sport.

"So when you have someone like a PE teacher or a coach who can push you on in any sport really, it is really encouraging and it can motivate you to excel."

Gill also emphasised the importance of the welcoming athletics community to her enjoyment on the track.

"I was never a sports fanatic, to be honest, but ever since I started running I have grown to love athletics," she said

"I love the community around it and I love the people that I compete with.

"It is extremely important to be able to get on with your competitors as a young athlete and to have a welcoming community around you.

"It can be quite offputting if you don't really feel friendly with the people you are competing with.

"With the running community, I have always felt incredibly welcome and it has made me want to stay with the sport and to love the sport."

Gill will follow in the footsteps of her hero Dina Asher-Smith this summer when she competes at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Asher-Smith took gold in the 200m with a time of 24.30 at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games on the Isle of Man before going on to win gold and bronze medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia's Gold Coast.

"I think that following in the footsteps of people like Dina is unbelievable," she added.

"You see these athletes competing at such a senior standard now.

"It makes you realise that if you are competing in the same competitions as they have done previously, then it is a good indicator that your journey in running is on a good path.

"I have always looked up to Dina Asher-Smith because she has been through a lot on her sporting journey.

"So to watch her go through each race and her struggles helps me realise that it is never going to be easy but that you just have to push through that.

"At the end of the day, I love running and so it does not matter if I do badly at one event."