'I'm consuming 4,200 calories-a-day in quest for Olympic gold'

Powerhouse Emily Campbell, who weighs around 130 kilograms, became the first British woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal in Tokyo. Li Wenwen, the gold medallist from China, clocked in at a touch more than 150 kilograms.

Campbell often trains just once a day but still needs to eat more than double the guideline daily amount for women. “The good thing in weightlifting is there's a community and we're in a weight-based sport, so conversations about food are actually really easy,” she said. “I think if the wider world heard some of our conversations, they'd be horrified.

“Essentially, eating is part of my job role. My job is to lift weights and to be strong and to be able to do that, I have to fuel myself properly. That's where your naps come in, so sometimes having a cheeky nap sleeps off the food a little bit. But most of the time, with the way it’s spread out, by the time I get a snack or have a main meal I’m hungry.”

Campbell, an ambassador for Old El Paso, has a range of nutritional support available to her but that has not always been the case. Less than 12 months out from when Tokyo 2020 was scheduled to take place, Campbell was relying on her own expertise - and a bit of guesswork - as a self-funded athlete.

Nowadays, the 29-year-old works closely with leading nutritionist Dr Sinead Roberts, who maps out Campbell’s meals from morning to night. “Sometimes it can be an issue when you go to these fancy events, and you get these little posh dinners that taste great, but it's two mouthfuls and they're over,” explained Campbell. "So that’s when I would message Sinead, telling her I’ve had a crap dinner and she’ll tell me what to get on the way home.

“She's fantastic, she writes very in-depth plans of what to eat, when and even what to do even when we’re travelling, so supplying flight meal plans.” Inevitably, Campbell has received some strange looks when eating out.

“We go on shoots and I tell people I need X, Y and Z for breakfast and they say, ‘that's crazy, how can you eat all of that?’ You just get used to it,” she explained. “I'm going to have a lifetime after sport of eating normally again, so I'm just going to take advantage of it.”

Old El Paso are joining forces with Team GB over a shared goal of creating more connection this summer, with Team GB uniting the nation in support of their athletes and Old El Paso best enjoyed with friends and families around the table.

Campbell has caught a few by surprise in the gym too, but her striking physique has still failed to ward off mansplainers. “I do a lot of filming in London and sometimes have to use the public gyms. I went to one and there was a PT strolling round trying to win clients and he asked me what I was working on,” recalled Campbell, speaking as an ambassador for Old El Paso ahead of Paris.

“I went to tighten my hair and my Olympic rings tattoo emerged from under my shirt on my arm and he sheepishly asked: ‘do all Olympians get the rings tattooed on them?’ That's when the penny dropped for him. I find it hilarious. I would never turn around and tell people I’ve got an Olympic silver medal. I'll let them carry on and make a fool of themselves.

“My family had a watching party in Tokyo when everyone was in the garden going nuts and they had a great party," Campbell said. "This time, they've got tickets, they're going to be making that trip over to France, and it's going to be really special.

“It does almost help us lift the bar when we've got that support. We’ll finally get to experience a proper Olympics instead of hearing about what it's like from other people, so it will be incredible to finally experience what it’s truly about.”

With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games just days away, Old El Paso is excited to unveil a heartwarming behind-the-scenes film featuring their ‘Home Team Heroes:’ Tom Dean, Bethany Shriever, Jack Laugher, Emily Campbell, and Kye Whyte