'I thought I'd be bleeped by BBC' - but Hunt's words resonate
But, while she may no longer feel able to wear the T-shirt which inspired her "corny" spur-of-the-moment quote, it has since become clear that the impact was worth the sacrifice. Shortly after completing her long-anticipated rise to a first individual global podium by sprinting to world 200m silver in Tokyo, the 23-year-old, caught in an adrenaline-fuelled daze, brilliantly summarised the demanding path she had taken to get there. The University of Cambridge graduate proclaimed to all young girls watching on BBC TV: "You can be an academic badass and a track goddess.
" "As soon as I said it, I was like, 'oh my gosh, I'm on the BBC'. I was like, 'are they going to bleep that out? ' I feel so bad," says Hunt.
"I was so incredibly high with adrenaline and endorphins that there wasn't a connection between my brain and my mouth. All I remembered was that I had this T-shirt that said 'Goddess' on it, so that flashed into my mind. "I feel like I can't wear that T-shirt because it's too corny to wear now.
" Fast forward six months and Hunt, who will compete for further global honours over 60m at this weekend's World Indoor Championships in Poland, is offering as much guidance to those inspired by her achievements as her busy schedule will allow. It is no easy task, amid the exciting opportunities which followed her Tokyo breakthrough - she has had to decline invites to movie premieres and fashion weeks - and while working towards her next major goals of breaking three British records and winning three European titles this year. "There's so many girls that message me every single day.
I reply to as many as I can, especially those trying to go through the Oxbridge system, but it's quite hard," says Hunt, who graduated from her English Literature degree in 2023. "I'm trying to open more doors for people coming up behind me. I've helped a couple of girls get into Cambridge and some of them I'm now close friends with.