Watch as we meet Katarina Johnson-Thompson to talk about the KJT Academy, Tokyo Olympics and being a Scouser

In an exclusive interview with The Guide Liverpool Katarina Johnson-Thompson tells how training is going ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, and tells us why she has launched her own KJT Academy. We also talk about how proud she is to come from Liverpool saying “the city is in her heart forever”

Katarina Johnson-Thompson, or KJT as she is more fondly known, opened up applications for year one of the KJT Academy last month and young athletes can still apply to join up until Friday 19 March.

The KJT Academy, which is supported by the LFC Foundation, will help to address some of the inequalities within Olympic and Paralympic sports that were highlighted via reports published by Summus Sports Group, KJT’s management, in 2020 by allocating places exclusively to talented 16 – 21-year-old athletes from the North West of England who identify as being from diverse ethnic communities and who are, or have been, in the state education system.

KJT’s motivation to set up the KJT Academy stems from her personal journey growing up in Liverpool. In August 2020 she penned a letter, published by British Vogue, on the realities of growing up as a mixed raced female girl with ambitions of sporting greatness.

Katarina is also in training for the Tokyo Olympics which are due to take place this summer and she tells us how the work she is putting in is helping her through lockdown life. And she tells us how being a Scouser and coming from Liverpool pushes her to achieves her goals saying, “Liverpool is in her heart forever”.

Katarina is also in training for the Tokyo Olympics which are due to take place this summer and she tells us how the work she is putting in is helping her through lockdown life. And she tells us how being a Scouser and coming from Liverpool pushes her to achieves her goals saying, “Liverpool is in her heart forever”.

Find out more about the KJT Academy here.