Amy Hunt is waiting for her mum, Claire, to arrive on the train from Newark to London.

‘We always enjoy a leisurely ladies' lunch when we’re here,’ she explains, putting down her Gucci handbag and sipping on a double espresso in the Daily Mail Sport offices in Kensington.

‘Sometimes it needs to be a quick Wagamama but if it’s Mum then I like to treat her. I’m now in a position where I’m lucky enough to be able to spoil my parents and really take care of them. I like fine dining. I like to give her a boujie experience and make her feel all lovely.

‘It wasn’t easy raising two incredibly sporty, high-achieving daughters. My mum would be at cricket practice at Trent Bridge with my sister (who was in Nottinghamshire's academy) and my dad would be with me at track practice. My legs run really fast and because of that I can now give my parents the life I want them to have.’

Winning a silver medal in the 200metres at last year’s World Athletics Championships has opened plenty of doors for England’s latest track star.

The 24-year-old will compete in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland over the next fortnight, the latest chapter in her blossoming career which was turbo-boosted when she described herself as 'sexy and aggressive' after that runners-up finish in Tokyo.

Hunt's confidence, her glamorous look and her choice of words – she also said you can be 'an academic badass and a track goddess at the same time' – propelled her from the back pages to the front.

British sprint star Amy Hunt, photographed in the Daily Mail Sport studios

Hunt graduated from the University of Cambridge with an English literature degree in 2023 but student halls are a thing of the past. Here in London, the Hunts are booked into the suite at the luxury hotel Kimpton Fitzroy – one of model David Gandy’s favourites – and a spot of shopping is on the cards, too.

‘We went to the Saatchi gallery last time we were here,' Hunt adds. 'They had an exhibition on flowers, with some William Morris prints. I’ve lived abroad in Padova (Italy) for three years now so I don’t get to see her as often as I would like. Spending time together in the UK is a joyful rarity.

'Mum manages antiques fairs. We have the same enjoyment for beautiful, material things. If there’s time, then we might go to Liberty's (department store) and have a wander around.

‘Winning a world individual medal definitely puts you in new rooms and new conversations. We don’t get the same financial support as other sports but we’re in the lucky position where we get paid more than niche Olympic sports like pentathlon.

‘Every sport is chasing the PR jump that F1 had (through the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive) and there are always new initiatives coming in to try and make track big. We train in Italy so I have to say no to a lot of things. Vogue parties, movie premieres, opportunities to fly to Goodwood in a helicopter...

‘Spending an entire day in tiny stiletto heels isn’t ideal for training. I don’t wear heels as often as most women so my feet aren’t used to it. We work in such fine margins. My feet and my ankles and my legs are my money-makers, essentially.

'They’re quite susceptible to minor changes. Even when I get a new pair of spikes, sometimes I get blisters. That can have a big knock-on effect on one week of training.

‘This is so gross but my two big toenails had to be removed in Tokyo and then I got blisters on the end of both toes. Before every single race, my coach was having to tape up my toes so they weren’t bleeding everywhere. We were in a very hot, muggy climate and if they get infected, then that can have a big knock-on effect. It’s not all glamorous parties and holidays.’

Hunt's confidence, her glamorous look and her eloquence have propelled her from the back pages to the front

She won silver in the 200m at last year’s World Championships and will compete in the 100m and the 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland over the next fortnight

Hunt oozes self-confidence. She is as comfortable discussing Italian opera as Charli xcx. Her apartment overlooks a basilica and one of her goals is to learn enough Italian to be able to read Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th-century poetry in its native tongue.

‘I live the coolest life,' she says. 'One thing I really love about myself is I go out of my way to create my dream life. I moved to Italy at 21 and live in a gorgeous renaissance city surrounded by artwork. The world’s first botanical garden is 200 metres from my house.

‘It’s a place where I can really enjoy being Amy and where I can build my life outside of track. It’s also so good for training because it’s just us in our little bubble. We go to this track in the mountains which has church towers and the bells start ringing. You just think, “Wow”. If I’m having a bad day, I just go and buy a gelato, walk around and read my book. I really love it.

‘I’m now in a place where I can wake up and say to myself, “I am one of the fastest women in the world”. That’s really cool, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing. I’ve been gaining confidence week on week for the last two years. I have to stand on that start-line thinking, “I’m the fastest person here, I’m going to win this race”. Otherwise, why would I be standing on that start line? It’s all a game of confidence.

‘I’ve realised the better way to approach things is with that somewhat reckless optimism. My coach (Marco Airale) prepares us for everything and has his massive spreadsheets with figures crawling everywhere, but once I step on that start-line there’s absolutely nothing he can do.

'Especially with the 100m, there are no tactics involved, no gameplan… it’s all on me. I have to have a radical confidence.’

Posing for photographs in our Daily Mail studio, Hunt needs no instructions on how to work the camera. She explains her OUAI haircare routine to the photographer and discusses her upcoming nail appointment with one of London’s top manicurists.

‘I’ve fallen more and more in love with racing so now that confidence comes easily,' she says. 'I have a lot of love for (American sprinter) Sha'Carri Richardson on the track because she knows exactly who she is.

'Spending an entire day in tiny stiletto heels isn’t ideal for training. I don’t wear heels as often as most women so my feet aren’t used to it'

'You only get one shot at it all, so why would you not live every day with reckless abandonment and reckless confidence?'

'She doesn’t care if you or I disagree with her. The best sprinters in the world have such a strong sense of self that they’re unshakable. It’s the same with Noah Lyles. I aspire to be like that, too.

‘I love people like Dua Lipa in the same sort of way. She knows exactly who she is and she lives a very cool life. She’s just got married to her gorgeous fiancee, she’s a popstar and she has that sense that life is supposed to be fun.

'You only get one shot at it all, so why would you not live every day with reckless abandonment and reckless confidence? I would like a wedding like hers. I would love to get married in Italy because I have such strong roots there, but I don’t have anyone to get married to right now… so!’

Hunt’s immediate focus is on the finish line at Scotstoun. She became just the fourth British woman to break the 11-second barrier for the 100m last month and successfully defended her British title. Her star is rising and, as a self-confessed material girl, her eyes are only for gold.

‘The Commonwealth Games is overlaid with all these different memories of watching it,' Hunt says. 'There’s a picture of me freshly-born on the changing mat watching Darren Campbell, who is now my mentor. It’s a bit of a full circle moment.

‘Our No 1 priority this year is the Europeans but the Commonwealths will be super exciting because I’ve never done it. People I train with say Birmingham 2022 was one of the most fun champs they’ve ever done, so I’m looking forward to it.

‘I have really big dreams and goals... I want to win multiple Olympic golds, I want to win world titles and I don’t feel like I should be ashamed to say that'

'A gold medal at the Commonwealths would be unbelievably cool. As a sprinter, we always get asked what matters most: times or medals. It’s medals, without any shadow of a doubt.

‘I have really big dreams and goals. When we’re in relay meetings, we know we can challenge the best in the world from this tiny little country. Collectively, we’ve never been stronger.

'I want to win multiple Olympic golds, I want to win world titles and I don’t feel like I should be ashamed to say that. I don’t want to sit here and say, “Now I’ve won a medal, I just want to make the final”.

'I’ve won a silver medal so now I have to back myself towards gold. I have to wake up every morning thinking, “I want to win that Olympic gold”. If I don’t believe in myself, then why should you? I have to be my biggest cheerleader and it excites me. I love the journey I’m on towards that Olympic gold.’