Beth Shriever had to work part-time and set up a Crowdfunder to pay her way towards winning Olympic gold in Tokyo but now the BMX star heads to Paris as a full-time athlete with pressure of a different kind
Beth Shriever is still learning to deal with the pressure of favouritism but at least the BMX Olympic champion is heading to Paris without worrying about how to pay for it all.
Three years ago the east Londoner worked as a teaching assistant at an Essex school and relied on the goodwill of online donations to finance her qualification for Tokyo. She had been dropped from British Cycling’s funding programme but proved that decision wrong by storming to victory on the same afternoon that Kye White won silver in the men’s event.
“It was hard,” she says now. “Sticking to it when I was tired, knackered, going out in the rain and then finally getting picked up to be a full-time athlete. Dreams can come true if you stick to it and stay motivated throughout it all.”
Unsurprisingly Shriever has since been picked back up for funding and being able to focus solely on BMX has “taken me to the next level of performance.” Dedicating time to eating well and resting more is “much, much better and a lot less stressful” – although her preparations have taken a knock after breaking a collarbone last month.
But there is a downside. Instead of arriving at the Games under the radar, without external expectations, she is the marked woman. Shriever has won two world championship titles and a European crown in the past three years and admits: “Everyone is gunning for me now.”
To combat that she will work closely with a psychologist “to manage my nerves properly because they will be there” but it is about embracing the pressure rather than ignoring it. I’m pushing myself to be better,” she adds. “I’ve never been in this position before but it’s cool to be the favourite.
“Going into Tokyo I was an underdog, there wasn’t much pressure. It was about going in to enjoy the experience and what will be will be. This time I’m going to defend something, go there and get a medal.The preparation is fierce and intense. I’m up for the challenge. It’s a different feel but I’m so, so excited.”
Beyond that Shriever is motivated by bringing her sport into the mainstream. After Tokyo there was a sharp spike in interest from young people across the country and she knows that another medal on August 2 would provide a further boost. “The reaction from Tokyo was mental,” she says. “We want to inspire others to get involved. We want to showcase how cool it is.”
Being invited to join a number of GB Olympic greats in a motivational video that will be played at their base in the Olympic village and as a television advert at home is going to help too. Its theme is about overcoming adversity and pushing past challenges – making her an ideal part of the cast.
And seeing herself on screen alongside cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy, rowing star Helen Glover and gymnastics champion Max Whitlock left her with “goosebumps.”
She added: “It was so important to me to be involved. I loved every second of the filming, the reasoning behind it. It was so motivating. The final edit gave me goosebumps. It’s been so cool to get a little insight into every one’s journey.”
NatWest, Official Banking Partner to Team GB, has launched their team Talk to inspire to the nation, designed to help get people going, whatever their goal. To find out more visit https://www.natwest.com/teamgb.html