This week sport.co.uk caught up with another of Team GB’s gorgeous Beijing babes. Cast your eyes over Katy Livingston; a girl endowed with enormous sporting prowess as well as dazzling good looks! This summer the 24-year-old shot, swam, fenced, ran and rode her way to a very tidy 7th place in the modern pentathlon…and of course, first place in our hearts. With Olympic fever finally dying down we found to time to chat with the blonde bombshell about her recent experiences and aims for the future. Enjoy.
Thanks for talking to us Katy, how does it feel to be sport.co.uk’s ‘hot babe of the week’?
Quite funny really. Not really something I get asked to do!
Is life beginning to get back to normal after the Olympics?
Yeah we had the London parade last week and also the Buckingham Palace visit so I’m only just starting to get back down to earth now
Would you have taken 7th place before the Olympics began?
Yeah top ten at that level is a really good result. I know that I was capable of earning a medal but you’ve got to be realistic with the pentathlon because to hit top form in five different disciplines is extremely difficult.
Do you think you have a chance of a medal in London 2012?
Yeah…definitely. My first aim is just to make it there though as only two British women can qualify to compete. Hopefully I will though, and I think with four more years of experience under my belt I’ll definitely be in the shape and the mindset to get on the podium.
What are your strongest and weakest elements of pentathlon and what do you enjoy most?
Fencing is my least favourite as it takes 3 hours to complete. I don’t like the aggression and the direct competition. I much prefer the running as you can do the hard work in training and really push yourself. I’m least experienced in the riding but I’m starting to enjoy that a lot more now
How was the Olympic village?
Brilliant, absolutely awesome. I was only there for a week and I wasn’t ready to go home. As pentathletes you don’t normally get to mingle with the other sports. We turned up late when some of the medals had been won so it was already quite buzzing.
How often do you have to train?
I’m just starting again now so it’s just concentrating on getting my fitness back at the moment, but after Christmas I’ll really be going for it again up to six or seven hours a day. I’m still training five days a week though.
Just the five?! Can you still eat junk food and go out drinking?
We have Sundays off so I can go out on Saturday and not worry about waking up early the next morning. With the eating I’m quite lucky because I don’t really put on weight I can pretty much eat anything as long as I make sure I eat the right things at main meals.
How long do you think you can continue to compete for? And what will you do when you finish?
Well pentathletes go on for longer than most other athletes. With the shooting, fencing and riding you need more experience and you don’t lose that much in relative terms with the swim and run. You get people competing into their late 30s.
I want to compete in London but I’ll be 28 by then and I don’t think I want to wait until the next Olympics when I’ll be 32. But after London I think there will be so much publicity that hopefully I’ll be busy with that.
I’ve got a degree in sport but I don’t think I want to continue with it for life. I might even have to get a proper job!
Do you think you will keep yourself in as good shape when you finish, or are you afraid you might let yourself go?!
No I love running so I’ll keep doing that. I like to think now that I’ll keep myself in shape.
Do you only go for super fit men? Would you consider a man with a beer belly if he was really good looking?
Yeah of course! It’s not all about the body for me!
Have you had more attention from boys after the Olympics?
I’ve had some fan-mail and the majority is from men. Mostly well wishers and people wanting autographs though so nothing too exciting.
What’s the worst chat-up line you’ve ever heard?
Someone the other day told me that I had beautiful eyes so that was quite cheesy!
Cheesy but true…anyway…good luck for the future Katy.
Look out for Katy in the build up to London 2012; if you can’t wait that long visit www.katylivingston.co.uk