Katarina Johnson-Thompson exclusive: 'I'm not worried about long-term Zika effects'

British Olympic medal hope Katarina Johnson-Thompson has told Yahoo Sport that she has concerns over contracting the Zika virus as she prepares to travel to Brazil, but insists she never had any thoughts about withdrawing from the Rio Games.

The heptathlon medal contender flew to the Team GB training base in Belo Horizonte on Saturday as she prepares for the biggest event of her career, with the 23-year-old suggesting her concerns over the Zika outbreak are not solely centered around the long-term effects of contracting the virus.

With Zika spread by mosquitos, Johnson-Thompson is taking every precaution possible hoping she is not stuck down by the virus, especially in the two weeks before she is due to compete.

“You hear a lot about the Zika problem and it does cross your mind, but as strange as it may sound, my worry is for my health heading into these Olympic games and not the long-term side effects,” she tells us.

“I have been told that the Zika virus can stay in your system for two years and can have an affect on your prospects of having a baby which is obviously awful and puts things in to perspective.

"I sincerely hope nobody has to deal with such a situation, but I am only young and pregnancy is not something I am thinking about at this point. All I am concerned about us being fit and healthy when I line up for my first event in the Olympic stadium on August 12th.

“I have worked so hard to get myself ready for this moment and it would be horrible if I end up getting the flu-like symptoms that come with the Zika virus ahead of the competition.

“I have spoken to the Team GB organisers and they have advised me to bring lots of mosquito spray and use the plug-ins in our rooms to try and keep the mosquitos away, which is all we can do really.

"I have had some vaccinations ahead of the trip to Rio, but there is no injection you can take to get around this, so as athletes we just have to hope this doesn’t affect us whilst out there. It would be a huge shame if somebody wasn’t able to compete because of this.”

High profile golf stars such as Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day have pulled out of the Rio Olympics citing fears over the Zika virus, but Johnson-Thompson suggests the importance of the event in her sport may be a reason for a different perspective.

“I can’t speak for the golfers, but we will not see many athletes dropping out of the Olympics over Zika. This is the pinnacle of our sport and I'm not sure that is the case in other sports,” she continues. “This is the first year that golf is in the Olympics so maybe it is not as important for them at this stage.

“Everyone in athletics has been working towards this event for a long time now and we just have to go with the medical advice we have been given and accept that this is something we will have to be aware of on this trip.”

Aside from the Zika issues, there have also been fears expressed about the standard of accommodation at the Olympic village that will host the thousands of athletes about to on Rio, with Johnson-Thompson revealing this issue has been pressing for one of her biggest supporters in recent days.

“My Mum has been texting me and calling me saying she is worried about the reports coming back about the Olympic village,” she adds with a smile.

“She is more worried than I am about this because all I am thinking about at this stage is keeping myself in good shape and getting ready to compete.

“We will see what the Olympic village is like when we get down there, but I’m sure it will be fine. Even if it might not be as nice as the accommodation we were all given for London 2012. That was luxury accommodation with a nice goodie bag when we got there as well, so maybe we were spoiled four years ago.

“Everyone is in the same boat heading to Rio and I am open minded about the accommodation we will be given. When you get to this stage of an Olympic year, you have more to think about than whether your room is going to be nice.

“I’ve heard that hotel rooms are going for crazy prices down there, so I just want to say a huge thanks to anyone that is going over to Brazil to support us. I know it is not easy but your support means a lot.”

You will be hearing more from our interview with Katarina during the Olympics