Today, Charlotte Worthington is an Olympic champion.
But just a few years ago life looked very different with the Chorlton woman working full-time as a chef.
And, as can be expected of someone with the talent and drive to win Olympic gold, she ended up being so good her ex-manager tried to talk her out of leaving as she quit to follow her BMX dream.
“She was very hard working and very good in the kitchen,“ said Jordan Carter, who was her manager at the Racconto Lounge in Bury.
READ MORE: How Greater Manchester has played a key role in making BMX heroes
She was part of the team when the restaurant first opened nearly four years ago.
However, she reached a point where she needed to commit fully to her true passion – freestyle BMX.
“I did try to keep her,“ Jordan said.
“’Do you really want to do the Olympics?’ “ he told her.
Now, Jordan is understandably relieved that she didn’t listen to him.
Charlotte during the Women’s Cycling BMX Freestyle Seeding at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
(Image: Marijan Murat/PA Wire via DPA)
“If I had made her stay she wouldn’t have that gold,“ he said.
Jordan said that her becoming Olympic champion was really ‘exciting news’ and that he’s proud of her and what she has achieved.
He remembers her bringing her bike into work on occasion and how committed she was to the sport.
She worked full-time and spent as much as her time off as possible on her BMX.
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Jordan admits that he didn’t see the Olympic gold medal coming.
However, he didn’t doubt that she’d be successful.
He’d seen videos on her Instagram that were ‘really really impressive’ – and he knew that she had the drive and determination to make it happen.
“She’s done an amazing job,“ Jordan said.
The Beagle in Chorlton
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The Racconto Lounge wasn’t Charlotte’s first job in hospitality.
She had also worked at The Beagle in Chorlton-cum-Hardy – where she grew up.
Chef Adam Mohammed remembers working alongside Charlotte and her love for her bike.
“She worked very very hard,“ Adam said.
Chef Adam Mohammed who worked with Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Worthington at The Beagle in Chorlton
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
She would often do shifts until midnight, and as she was working full-time, it was only on her two days off a week that she’d be able to fully commit to her freestyle BMXing.
“She knew her bike so well. That’s why she got the gold, if you continue with what you know. It’s such a big thing.“
“I’m so happy for her,“ he said.
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