Dame Kelly Holmes has revealed what England players might be feeling after their World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina. The former Olympic runner, who has years of experience carrying the nation's hopes on her shoulders, shared her insight into the players' emotions following the 2-1 loss on Wednesday night.
Heartbreak and Disappointment
Holmes agreed that the players must feel "absolutely gutted." She said: "When you play for your country, there's something different. The pride is very different. It means a lot because the whole country is behind you, not just your team, not just the fans for that team. It's the whole country, and they're so reliant on you." She noted that with football, because England won the World Cup so long ago (60 years ago in 1966), the nation is "always living off of hope."
Holmes emphasised that despite the fact they shouldn't beat themselves up, they will inevitably feel they've let down the country. "They feel like they let the fans down, and it's not that they let the fans down because we all had so much hope on them," she said. "I think as a sports person, you always feel like you've let people down, you've let your family down, you feel like you've let everyone around you down that supported you, let your fans down, your coaching, the team that have been there. If you make one mistake or not mistake, you feel like it goes onto your shoulders."
Collective Pain and Long-Term Impact
Holmes added: "All of them will be gutted, absolutely gutted. It tears you apart as a sports person not achieving your dream, it really does. And it takes a while to get over it because obviously time needs to heal." She noted that the "biggest positive" is that they are in it together: "It was a collective team that didn't get through, and I think that that's almost the biggest positive they can take out of this one because not one person is going to get vilified." She added: "And they did us proud, brought the nation together. What we needed at this point."
The sportswoman also reminded fans that while they might be disappointed, they won't be as disappointed as the players. "We're not the people who are having our hearts ripped out of us in that sense. We feel bad and down, and we wanted the elation of it, but we weren't the ones on the pitch with the pressure and the expectations." She added that for the footballers, this will likely stay with them forever: "[The loss] is going to be in their heads and their psyche every time for it until they get to - if they get to - go in the England team again. That's only time that that feeling will ever go, that's going to be with them for the rest of their lives, and we forget that."
Holmes Reflects on Her Own Career
Dame Kelly herself has been open about the challenges in her own career, frequently facing injuries, and struggling with her mental health, while also remaining closeted for decades with the constant fear of someone finding out about her sexuality. She reflected that her career would have certainly looked very different if she had been able to be openly gay. "I would have had an easier ride in my athletics career, and I would have won more golds and silvers, more silvers and bronzes," she reflected. "My career and all that, plus breakdowns, self-harm, depression, all of those things. Like, would my journey have been easier? Yeah." She added importantly: "I find that my career has evolved post-it because I can talk about how actually, even at your depths of despair, you can be a very strong person."
New Opportunity to Train with Dame Kelly
This strength and mental wellness is now something she is hoping to share with more people as she is teaming up with Solgar to give runners an opportunity to train with her and receive expert training and nutrition advice. "I want people to gain some knowledge that they may not have, and also the motivation and mindset. Learn more about how you can flick your switch and make yourself achieve something for yourself," she said. "I think the only time that you completely give yourself 100% is when you're doing fitness because you've got to really focus on what you're doing. I hope that I can just guide them to get more out of themselves."
The competition to train with Dame Kelly is open until August 31, and winners will receive mentoring sessions with Kelly, group training sessions, and nutritional advice. "It's actually open to anybody, not just people who feel like they're elite sports people, and that's anyone that enjoys running and wants to get some tips," said Dame Kelly. Entry to Dame Kelly and Solgar's nationwide competition is open until 31 August 2026 via a dedicated online entry form available in stores nationwide.
