Ten essential facts about...Katarina Johnson-Thompson

The British triathlete who beat Jessica Ennis's British junior record by 338 points.

Age: 19
Born: Liverpool
Height: 183cm
Sport: heptathlon
Weight: 68Kg

1. Her career highlight to date was beating Jessica Ennis's British junior record by 338 points in the Czech Republic in June to secure her Olympic place.

2. She has already set a new personal best in the 2012 Olympic Games with a 1.89m leap in the high jump during the heptathlon.

3. Katarina will start her sports science degree at John Moores University in September.

4. Her athletics career began at primary school. Mum Tracey remembers: “The first time we realised it was at the Catholic Championships. She broke the record for the high jump. We couldn’t believe it. She’d had no coaching – she was just a natural.”

5. In a recent competition in Sheffield she returned with 13 individual medals and experts say she has the potential to develop into a better athlete than Ennis.

6. Katarina likes being an underdog. “I think coming into the Olympics under the radar is helping,” she said during the London 2012 Olympics. “I have been surprised by the progress I have made. The heptathlon is very difficult to do , so for me it was just a dream come true really.”

7. Her favourite book is Russel Brand's autobiography, My Booky Wook.

8. Katarina says she chose the heptathlon because she is indecisive and couldn’t pick between long jump and hurdles.