Samantha Murray: Pentathlete reveals London 2012 struggle

Modern pentathlete Samantha Murray has admitted she struggled to adjust to life after London 2012.

The 23-year-old secured Team GB's 65th and final medal of the games, winning silver at Greenwich Park.

But a year on from her success, and heading in to the World Championships, Bath-based Murray says she has found it hard to return to normality.

"Getting back to that life that was so routine is difficult after you've had such success," she told BBC Sport.

"I'd achieved a life goal. I'd become an Olympic medallist at a home Olympics. To get up on Monday morning and come in to training, and to be around people who haven't won an Olympic medal, it's difficult.

"The people you're around every day haven't changed, just you have.

"You have bad days and you have good days. You've got to try really hard to think about the future and focus on the next challenge that comes in your life."

Lancashire-born Murray went into last year's games off the back of a team gold and individual bronze at the 2012 World Championships in Rome and is now ranked sixth in the world.

After the Olympics, she returned to the University of Bath to complete a degree in French and Politics and started her training for the Worlds.

But she says her preparation for the trip to Taiwan has been hampered by the focus remaining on her achievements in London.

"With this legacy we want to fulfil, I do have a responsibility," she continued.

"I've gone to schools, award ceremonies and I do lots of public speaking as well as finishing my degree. My energy and time is split in lots of different ways.

"It has made this season difficult as an athlete and hard to tick all the boxes that I would usually do so well.

"I have a lot to do and I just need to get myself in to the best shape as possible."

Murray will compete alongside Kate French, Freyja Prentice and reigning world champion Mhairi Spence in Taiwan.

Spence, French and Murray won team gold at the European Championships in Poland earlier this year, and while Murray believes they will replicate that success, she says individual medals will be prove a tougher test.

"I think we will definitely bring home team medals - that's a given. We are so strong as a country so I think it will happen," she added.

"Individual medals are always difficult to come across at the worlds. The rest of the world are really competitive, there are some strong women out there.

"You need to be strong at everything and it's about physical and mental control. You can be the fittest athlete in the world but if you can't shoot your pistol straight and hit the target then you won't get anywhere.

"I'm going to give it my best shot."