We ask four of our favourite sportswomen the same five questions. See what Perri Shakes Drayton, Shirley Robertson, Sarah Beardmore and Steph Twell all have to say.

Perri Shakes Drayton – 400m hurdler

1. How did you first get started in your sport?

I got into athletics when I was younger mainly because there was nothing much else to do. But once I started I loved it, and just had to carry on. My school was very supportive and I won my first medal at the English Schools Championships.

2. Can you recall your best and favourite win?

It was at the European under 23 championships when I won the 400m hurdle. It felt really good, I can’t explain it. When you cross that line it’s unreal. All that work you put in and it finally pays off.

3. Tell us about your training routine.

I train between 5-6 days a week. We have sessions in the gym where I work on fitness and strength and also I do a lot of cardio. Sometimes I double train, so I do one session in the morning and another one later on that day, and I have to do stretch sessions too.

4. How tough on your body is your sport?

I have been lucky not to get injuries. As long as you do your training and listen to what you’re told, you should stay fit and healthy.

5. Do you believe you need mental strength to be a champion?

Yes, but physical strength is very important too. You need to do your training and listen to your coach so that you can make it to the start line, then the mental strength comes in to play.

Perri Shakes-Drayton is training to victory in the new NikeWomen Fly Sister One shoe featuring Diamond FLX technology, created especially for women to enhance multi-directional movement. NikeWomen.com

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Shirley Robertson – Sailing

1. How did you first get started in your sport?

My father was in the Navy and he had a taste for sailing, so he bought and built our own dinghy kit. I used to sail a lot on the west coast of Scotland.

2. Can you recall your best and favourite win?

My first Olympic gold medal in Sydney. Sydney harbour is so iconic so to be able to compete and win there was unreal. It was my third Olympics, and the first time everything went right. It was a very proud moment.

3. Tell us about your training routine.

At my first three Olympics I was racing single handed in a boat that was very light. Any movement had an effect and I had to be aware of that. I would run, do weight traing – a bit of everything really. When I was training for Sydney I was already in my 30s so I was feeling the training more, but I knew I had to be really fit and strong.

4. How tough on your body is your sport?

Sailing isn’t like other sports – I was literally on the water 250 days a year. That in itself kept me fit. The focus was on preventing injury and working as hard as I could on the boat. In sailing there is a lot of emphasis on the technical side of things and the mental part of the race.

5. Do you believe you need mental strength to be a champion?

The easiest aspect is probably the fitness side because it is measurable. When you exercise you get fitter – it’s easy to see the results. But that doesn’t necessarily make you a champion. You have to be technically good and you need to have a balance of physical and mental training that only comes with experience. Only a champion is able to deal with the kind of pressure the Olympics throws up.

Shirley Robertson is an ambassador of the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series.

Sarah Beardmore – Surfer

1. How did you first get started in your sport?

When I was 16 I bought a cheap board with my pocket money. I used to surf when I had spare time for a bit of fun. I always wanted to be a pro footballer but I broke my ankle in a match, had to get pins put in and have some time off. After that accident I really got into my surfing and never looked back.

2. Can you recall your best and favourite win?

Internationally my best win was the 2007 Hello Kitty Boardfest in California, it was such a good feeling to win my first international event and be handed a cheque on stage.

3. Tell us about your training routine.

It’s really hard travelling around the world and keeping a consistent training routine. In some places like Indonesia and South America it is difficult, but a general beach or home work out is usually the best. I have been playing squash lately which I have found good for cardio and reflexes. At the end of the day, surfing is the best training for surfing.

4. How tough on your body is your sport?

I have torn my medial ligament and had a couple of back injuries, but it is usually reef cuts and bruises or my fins slicing me.

You are unable to foresee most surfing injuries… but you can work hard on preventing them.

5. Do you believe you need mental strength to be a champion?

I believe that mental strength plays a huge role in becoming a champion. Having a good combination of talent, dedication and confidence is vital. Surfing is already so circumstantial and subjective that tactics play a large role in competitions.

Sarah Beardmore is sponsored by Protest

Steph Twell – 1500m runner

1. How did you first get started in your sport?

I started athletics at the age of nine. I loved the thrill of racing others and after winning a few races the exhilaration of coming first made me want to go on. I then joined the local club and met my coach and like they say, the rest is history. When I was younger it was more about socialising and meeting people but then I realised if you work hard at the sport you get a lot out of it.

2. Can you recall your best and favourite win?

Winning the world junior 1500m title was just awesome. Not just for me but for my coach, my family and my training partners. I’d returned from an injury early in the year so to come back and make up for what I felt I had missed was hugely rewarding. Instantly I felt relief, because every day and every night I had been thinking about this race.

3. Tell us about your training routine.

I do about 80 miles during a cross country season to build a big aerobics base. Five days out of seven I will do two runs. I also do three stretch and conditioning sessions.

4. How tough on your body is your sport?

At times things get tough, when you start to feel tight after a big morning session, you definitely feel stiff the next day and your legs feel heavy. But that’s the beauty of it - getting out and pushing hard, beyond limits you didn’t think were possible.

5. Do you believe you need mental strength to be a champion?

Yes. The ability to push when it hurts comes down not just too physical but mental strength, that is down to your heart and mind not just your legs!

Steph Twell is training to victory in the new NikeWomen Fly Sister One shoe featuring Diamond FLX technology, created especially for women to enhance multi-directional movement. NikeWomen.com

Erin Healey and Rachel Stansfield, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine