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Black America Web
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Gallery: Halle Berry Is The Moment At Cannes – And She's Playing By Her Own Fashion Rules
Source: Lionel Hahn / Getty Halle Berry is bringing the heat to the 2025 Cannes Film Festival – and we are here for the style smoke. Halle Berry Serves In Monochromatic Maroon At Cannes Turning heads in a jaw-dropping maroon corset Gaurav Gupta couture gown on May 19, the actress reminded everyone why she's an icon, a legend, and the moment. With its sculpted bodice, soft draping, and thigh-high slit, this dress oozed grown-woman elegance and unapologetic beauty. The couture moment is from Gaurav Gupta's AW 2024 collection. She paired the look with matching satin pumps and ruby drop earrings, giving timeless Hollywood glam with a contemporary twist. Maroon monochromatic never looked so good. (She is the literal embodiment of ' aging like fine wine .') Source: Andreas Rentz / Getty This fit isn't the only one we've loved from Halle at this year's film festival , though . A judge at the 2025 festivities, Halle has been flexing her style versatility all festival long. Our favorite Catwoman has been doing it all with confidence, power, and a touch of rule-breaking flair. Yes, even under Cannes' newly tightened dress code. (According to PEOPLE , this year's festival organizers rolled out stricter fashion rules, banning nudity, over-the-top trains, and even sneakers. Attendees are asked to wear in ' elegant ' shoes, floor-length gowns, and modest silhouettes.) But leave it to Halle to slay and make her own rules. From shimmering in a dazzling rhinestone halter gown that hugged every curve, to stepping out in a bold, vertical-striped black-and-white gown that felt effortlessly chic, Halle has consistently served the girls. Her structured pastel Chanel suit showed sophistication with a playful touch, proving you don't need a gown to make a major impact. Meanwhile, her classic black dress and striking emerald necklace combo screamed quintessential glamour girl. Gallery: Halle Berry Brings Timeless Style, Sexiness, & Elegance To Cannes What we love most about Halle's Cannes style, is her boldness. The 58-year-old continues to show the girls that age is just a number. Age is not a deadline for style, confidence, or sexiness. With her new wellness company focusing on intimacy, menopause awareness, and self-love, this fashion streak feels right. (And its so good). RELATED: Social Media Can't Stop Talking About Halle Berry's Lingerie Dress – See Why Halle Berry at Cannes 2025 is a whole mood—and we're absolutely here for it. The event runs through May 24, and if these first few looks are any indication Halle Berry isn't done bringing the heat. See our gallery of looks below. Gallery: Halle Berry Is The Moment At Cannes – And She's Playing By Her Own Fashion Rules was originally published on Source:Getty Halle Berry sparkled in a glittery floor-length neckline dress from Gucci. With its body-hugging fit, halter-style neckline, crystal detailing, and slight sheer illusion, the dress is simply picture perfect. And, Halle's bawdy looks amazing! Source:Getty Halle Berry showed fans the versatility of the classic suit in this ridiculously good whimsical suit from Chanel. From its pastel colors and wide leg design to its cropped blazer and black bow details, her fit was everything we love about professional looks with a touch of feminity and fun. Source:Getty Halle Berry made a bold statement in what can only be described as a 'pink cloud.' The actress posed on the Cannes carpet to celebrate Mission Impossible in a stunning dress from Celia Kritharioti SS25 Couture. Her strapless black corset paired with an oversized pink ruffled skirt nearly defied Cannes' train ban—but she made it fashion! And we loved it. Halle topped off her look in black Aquazzura shoes. Source:Getty Halle Berry attended the 2025 opening dinner during of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 13. For the soiree, she chose a black-and-white exaggerated A-line gown with vertical stripes that slim the bodgy and a high neck that was daring yet playful. And the back, sis, was everything! The back features an oversized draped bow detail. Source:Getty One of Halle's first looks to the Cannes Film Festival was a classic skirt suit from Chanel. The look oozed timeless elegance and sophistication with its pleated details, grey color, and black and silver buttons. Halle kept her makeup and hair look minimal for a clean, fresh, yet, rich look. Source:Getty Halle Berry exuded old Hollywood glam at the Chopard event in this ruched black off-the-shoulder gown. The figure-hugging silhouette and dramatic neckline were elevated with a bold emerald and diamond statement necklace. Her soft curls and glowing makeup completed the timeless look. Source:Getty Halle Berry stunned at Cannes in a blush-toned strapless Elie Saab SS25 Couture gown featuring a structured bodice and a thigh-high slit. She accessorized with sparkling diamond jewelry and crystal-embellished heels for a glamorous finish. A sleek bob and bronzy glam tied the whole look together. Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
The Independent
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
A24: The best of the cult studio's films ranked, from Moonlight to Lady Bird
There are few companies across the entire entertainment industry that evoke more brand loyalty than A24. Over the past decade, the hip distributor has taken the world of film fanatics by storm, releasing a host of the most acclaimed indie films in recent memory, among them Aftersun, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Midsommar, The Zone of Interest and Ti West's X trilogy. While the phrase 'an A24 film' has almost become a term with a specific set of stylistic connotations, the fact is that the company has released a multitude of different films, spanning all sorts of styles and genres. From coming-of-age comedies to sweeping period epics, here are the 15 best A24 movies ranked... 15. Climax (2018) A great workout playlist disguised as a grimy, slimy psychosexual thriller, Gaspar Noé's Climax plays out in a series of long takes (one is 42 minutes long), with a troupe of French dancers spiralling out of control after imbibing spiked sangria. Like the best of Noé's films (among them the 'stoner in film class' fave Enter the Void and the distressing Irreversible), Climax is practically designed to be divisive, and its striking mix of horror, psychedelia and pure aesthetic razzle-dazzle make it peak A24. Adam White 14. Under the Silver Lake (2018) Another divisive A24 cult classic, Under the Silver Lake tends to inspire groans as often as it does praise – and that's really OK! Filmmaker David Robert Mitchell seemed to be given creative carte blanche after the success of his 2014 micro-budget horror It Follows, and voila: a chaotic, romantic neo-noir conspiracy tale that wears its inspirations, notably Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, on its sleeve, tosses in a great fake-band song ('Turning Teeth' by the fictional Jesus & The Brides of Dracula), and boasts an irresistibly committed performance by Andrew Garfield as an aimless Los Angeleno investigating his neighbour's disappearance. What a weird, wondrous pleasure. AW 13. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth was the first answer to the decades-old hypothetical, 'What would a Coen film be like if Joel and Ethan separated?' (The second answer was, Ethan's 2024 romp Drive-Away Dolls.) This Macbeth is a pretty compelling answer, and remains one of the best, and most cinematic, Shakespeare adaptations put to screen. Denzel Washington is magnificent as the scheming king-to-be, while Frances McDormand sizzles as his poisonous paramour. Louis Chilton 12. Eighth Grade (2018) Heartbreakingly honest when it comes to coming-of-age, Eighth Grade is anything but easy viewing. We follow young Kayla (a revelatory Elsie Fisher) as she transitions between years in school, her fears and anxieties rising to the surface while she desperately attempts to mask them. The specificities here – vlogging, iPhones, the internet – feel decidedly of the 2010s, but there's a universal melancholy to Eighth Grade that will strike a chord with audiences of any age. Shamefully, director Bo Burnham – a graduate of internet comedy – has yet to make his follow-up feature. AW 11. The Brutalist (2024) Brady Corbet's architecture epic was a frontrunner for many of the major 2025 Academy Awards, and will partially be remembered as the film that birthed the most interminable Best Actor speech of all time (Adrien Brody's). Thankfully, The Brutalist is sure to be remembered for other things too: it's a film of staggering ambition, rich in meaning and audaciously stylish. It's one of the best films A24 has released, and one of the best films in recent memory. LC 10. Janet Planet (2023) While A24 has certainly increased its commercial aspirations in the last year or two (most notably via films including Alex Garland's Civil War and indistinct horror comedies such as Death of a Unicorn and Opus), they are also a company still eager to make films like Annie Baker's tender, intimate Janet Planet. Zoe Ziegler is the quiet 11-year-old of the title, a girl trapped in a cycle of odd father figures and endless existential yearning courtesy of her mother (a spellbinding Julianne Nicholson). AW 9. Lady Bird (2017) Greta Gerwig's debut feature as a solo director is a charming and specific coming-of-age story following 17-year-old Sacramento misfit Christine 'Lady Bird' McPherson (Saoirse Ronan). It's by turns funny, moving, world-wise, and wonderfully shot, with Laurie Metcalf turning in career-best work as Lady Bird's combative mother. This is the movie that really put Gerwig on the map as a filmmaker; it's no less than she deserved. LC 8. High Life (2018) High Life is an utterly unique sci-fi drama from French maestra Claire Denis. Robert Pattinson plays a prisoner on board a spaceship bound for a black hole, alongside Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth and Andre 3000. Some clunky, stylised dialogue only heightens the weirdness of this film, which is all things to all people: vibrant, tactile, philosophical, sexually perverse and even, at times, quite moving. LC 7. Hereditary (2018) Much like Robert Eggers's A24 folktale The Witch – which just missed a spot on this ranking – Hereditary felt like the birth of an incredibly special horror visionary. Ari Aster's haunting and genuinely scary feature debut revolves around a fractured family (led by Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne) seemingly cursed by ancient evil. The film travels to ghoulish places consistently, notably in a shock end-of-act-one plot twist involving a telephone pole that entirely upends where you think Hereditary is going. AW 6. 20th Century Women (2016) Mike Mills's 2016 drama is a warm hug of a film, bursting with such lived-in feeling that it wouldn't be too surprising if you burst into tears repeatedly while watching it. Annette Bening is the free-spirited yet overbearing, wise yet drifting single mother determined to raise her young son right at the tail end of the Seventies, and roping in friends and lovers to help her. AW 5. Under the Skin (2013) Jonathan Glazer boggles the mind. The British director has made just four films – each of them a masterpiece and each entirely distinct from what's come before. Under the Skin is an arthouse horror starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien who assumes the appearance of, well, Scarlett Johansson in order to lure randy Scottish men into some kind of lair. It's a completely singular piece of work, endlessly inventive and both emotionally and philosophically profound. LC 4. American Honey (2016) British filmmaker Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank; Red Road) turned her attention to US poverty with American Honey, a vivacious and poignant film about love on the road. Then-newcomer Sasha Lane is utterly transfixing as Star, a teenager who flees her home to join a band of travelling magazine hustlers. (Shia LaBeouf, as her rough-and-tumble love interest, gives an unexpectedly brilliant performance too.) There is life in every crevice of this film: a total triumph. LC 3. Moonlight (2016) It's still remarkable that Moonlight, from a then-unknown director named Barry Jenkins and a nascent film studio with only so much awards campaign money to their name, won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2017. But it's deserving of its acclaim in every frame, this being a richly human triptych of tales in the coming of age of a gay Black man from childhood to adulthood. Sensationally acted and absolutely gorgeous to look at, it's deservedly something of a modern classic at this point. AW 2. I Saw the TV Glow (2024) Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow revolves around two teenage loners drawn together by an alluring fantasy series – a Buffy -like Nineties horror hit – and finding their own lives mirroring its strange, surrealist twists. Primarily, though, it's about growing up trans, and the trauma of ultimately living a life that doesn't fit right. This is dazzling, beguiling filmmaking, Schoenbrun conjuring a dream-like suburban fantasia full of purple neon, moon men and Caroline Polacheck wailing on the soundtrack. Glorious. AW 1. Uncut Gems (2019) A film with tension so thick that you'd need a machete to cut through it, Josh and Benny Safdie's Uncut Gems is the story of Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a New York diamond dealer consumed by his chaotic gambling addiction. It's brilliant and transformative work from Sandler, in service of one of the funniest, tensest, and altogether best films the 21st century has yet produced. LC
Buzz Feed
30-03-2025
- Business
- Buzz Feed
This App That Shows Which Politicians And Parties Retailers Give Money To Is Going Viral. Here's How It Works
Ever since Donald Trump was re-elected, there have been growing calls among critics to fight back against his agenda by changing our spending habits. For example, people have talked about taking on no-buy challenges for the next four years and called to boycott retailers like Target that have renounced DEI. And in these conversations, one app keeps being brought up over and over: Goods Unite Us. Founded in 2017, Goods Unite Us is a free app that allows you to see at a glance how corporations and their executive leaders finance political parties and campaigns. Recently, I sat down for a call with Goods Unite Us CEO and founder Abigail Wuest to learn more about how the app works, the hidden side of money in politics, and her own experiences in politics as a local elected official. Here's our conversation: BuzzFeed: For people who may not be familiar with Goods Unite Us, can you share a quick elevator pitch for what you do? Abigail Wuest: We try to make corporate political donations or contributions more usable and available for consumers so that consumers can use that data when they're making purchases. The point is to allow consumers to align their purchasing more closely with their vote now that we are in an era with such dramatic corporate money influencing elections. If you're buying something and your purchases are actually going to influence elections in the opposite way as your vote, you don't want to do that as a consumer or a voter. And we do that through analyzing and aggregating Federal Election Commission political contribution data for companies and their senior executives, and then we give you a snapshot of that in our app. BF: How and why was Goods Unite Us started? AW: We actually started goods unite us after Trump got elected the first time. It was a year when there was an election with so much of an increase in corporate money in politics. And it was after that election that my husband and I were both sitting around thinking about, okay, so how do we protect the integrity of elections in light of the fact that the United States Supreme Court in the Citizens United decision has elevated corporations to people, in the sense that they have first amendment rights, and so they can basically contribute as much money as they want into elections, as long as it's through dark money channels. And so, in light of all this corporate money that has come into politics, we really felt like something needed to be done to help start offsetting the corrosive effects of that money in politics. And one way we felt that we could do that was to simply shed a little bit more light on the money going in from corporate sources so that the electorate can just know that and make better decisions. BF: Can you tell me a bit more about how and where Goods Unite Us sources this campaign finance data? AW: We get our data from the Federal Elections Commission database, which makes political contributions public. We aggregate that data, and we have a research team that basically pulls that data for any corporate PAC money. So corporations can't donate to individual campaigns directly, but they can do it through a corporate PAC. And then we also track the senior executives in a company because we feel the senior executives, even their individual contributions, do signify a bit more of how the company itself is acting politically. Those senior executives are the ones generally who profit the most from sales in a company and a company's success based on consumer spending. So we include corporate PAC money and then donations from senior executives, and if a company has less than $10,000 altogether that has been donated, we basically said that's de minimis. Anything below that, and we give them a green score, which basically means that the company is not dramatically affecting elections, but if it's over that amount, we give them a red or blue score. We give a percentage, and then we also tell you what level — whether they're minimal contribution level, medium, or high. Because obviously, the high and very high levels of contributions are what's really affecting the elections, like SpaceX or Tesla, for instance. BF: One big question I often see in online conversations about Goods Unite Us is whether or not the app is up to date. How often is your data updated? AW: We update it constantly. Our big updates happen after the FEC reporting deadlines when there's new data to report. One reason, I think, some people wonder if our data is updated is because we don't just give a snapshot from one election cycle. We actually give it from three election cycles. So under who this company donated to, you might see individuals that weren't in the last election. You might see Hillary Clinton or someone like that, and that's because we go back six years instead of just a one or two-year election cycle. We think that it's important to give a bigger picture so that a company doesn't donate one way up until right before the election and then just kind of switch their allegiance. BF: As you've been doing this work, are there things you've learned about corporate money in politics that might come as a surprise to the average person? AW: In our app, one of the cool things that we do is track the company up through a parent company. So you can see, if you go to our app and you check a certain brand, it will have the score for the overarching parent company itself, and it will indicate who that is. A lot of companies have been bought by other companies, and you will see that now your very left-seeming companies — outdoors companies, athletic companies that cater to hikers and bikers— a lot of them will end up having a more conservative contribution history, simply because of who the parent company is. And so we get a lot of surprises — people being like, 'Oh no, so and so is not aligned with my spending,' and it's a surprise to them. But I think also one surprise is what companies donate a lot and what don't. Randomly, you will see companies, like a shoe company, that you wouldn't think would get all that invested, and they're a big giver for some reason. And then you'll see other large grocery store chains that you would think would be more involved in lobbying, giving very little. BF: Are you working on any other projects at Goods Unite Us? AW: We actually have a tool that has just come out called Index Align, which we are unfortunately having to charge for because it costs a lot to compile. What we're doing with Index Align is tracking down the individual issues for people because we get so many people wanting to know [about spending toward] issues like DEI or abortion. Goods Unite Us has historically only stayed in political contributions because that's the top-down approach we see as the most important: Who are you electing? Because those people are really affecting these policies. However, so many people want the issues that we have figured out a way to do it in a that is objective, which is taking our FEC data and looking at what politicians a company is contributing to and how they have actually voted on these issues in the past, so we you can sort the company and find out how are the people that that company is putting in office are helping to put in office. Are they pro-DEI? Are they anti-DEI? Are they pro-choice? Are they anti-abortion? I think we're up to 15 different big issues now, and so that is kind of a fascinating tool. It also shows you what percentage is reported money from FEC and what is dark money, which is also fascinating because dark money is a huge, huge percentage, and we just don't know where that's going so or who that's really coming from. BF: Are there any other tools that you personally use or recommend to people who want to learn more about the causes that their everyday spending supports? AW: Open Secrets. I believe they're a nonprofit, and they do a really nice job as well. It's less consumer-friendly because it's not in the form of an easily usable app, but it's a good resource. It explains questions about what is a super PAC versus a corporate PAC, versus what's dark money versus not dark money. And so it's a nice educational tool. Goods Unite Us, Ivan Zhaborovskiy / Getty Images BF: You mentioned dark money. What exactly is dark money in politics, and how do you ferret that out? AW: Dark money is, unfortunately, a big part of the problem, and it is something we just can't track successfully because it is money that does not have to be reported to the FEC. Dark money is usually through a 501(c)(4), which is a type of nonprofit that has to do a certain amount of nonprofit activities but can do a certain amount of political activities as well. Those specific nonprofits don't have to list their donors, and they don't have to say what it's spent on. That's the most common form of dark money. There are also super PACs that can take certain donations of any amount. There are no restrictions on them. Now, after Citizens United, they're called independent expenditures, and those are super PAC money. What that really means is that it's a political action committee that is not coordinated with a campaign. So as long as they stay separate from the candidate and the campaign, they can take in as much money as they want. They're not subject to the rules, the FEC rules on maximum contributions. They can take all this money. This is what Elon Musk did with his super PAC, and then it can just spend money promoting that candidate, independent of the actual committee or candidate. But of course, now, with a weakened FEC administration, there's a lot more coordinating going on than there should be anyway. So, basically, when you hear dark money, it's money that's not being reported or money where we don't actually know what it's being spent on or who it's coming from. And that's a big portion. What we track at Goods Unite Us is actually reported money, which is still a big part of it, but it's actual contributions to the candidates of the committees BF: Wow, that just does not seem like it should be happening. Switching gears a bit, I'm curious how your previous work as an elected official has informed the work you're doing now? AW: I was on the county board here for Dane County [Wisconsin], which is where Madison is, and it was a fascinating experience. I think I see why we don't have as many people running for office. It's a grueling experience, especially with so much money in politics. And I was disheartened by how much focus was put on raising money. I did win, and I got on the board, and that was wonderful. I love the aspects of governing where you could actually make those changes that you always sit around wishing you could do. But the process of getting elected is not a fun one, and I think it weeds out lots of people who would otherwise be wonderful elected officials. If we had a better system for electing people — if we had state-funded or federally-funded elections, where you don't have to worry about the money — and you just have to worry about the ideas and the governing strategies. BF: Oh my gosh, I love that idea. We can dream, right? What was that like for you, running a campaign as a woman in this weird political era? AW: I definitely benefited from meeting with some women who were in the state legislature before I ran, and I remember saying to them, "Well, I'm just not sure if I'm qualified." And this woman, Chris Taylor, who's a wonderful politician here in Wisconsin, was like, "Only women say that," and she was like, "Your two opponents haven't even gone to college, and you are a lawyer at the Department of Justice. You're qualified." I've said that now to a bunch of other people that I know, a bunch of other women who are applying for certain jobs or something like that, and they've said, "Well, I don't know. I have an imposter syndrome." And I'm like, "No, no, you're good to go." BF: Thanks so much for talking with us today. Is there anything else you want people to know about Goods Unite Us or money in politics? AW: The goal of Goods Unite Us (and what I think many of our goals should be) is a really a nonpartisan issue. It's really about campaign finance reform and the need to reform the system in order to protect the integrity of the outcomes and make sure the outcomes reflect the population and the voting population. Just making the political activities of corporations available really helps to serve that goal of allowing you to keep your money from going out into the world and undermining your actual vote. One way we can help keep that corporate money from corroding our system is to make sure that that money is kept in line with how we're actually going to vote. And so, really, this is about elections and respect for our democratic process. I think this is a time when we really need to rally around and protect our democratic process because it's we're in a bit of a constitutional crisis right now and we need to figure out who we are. I do have faith in the American people, and hopefully, our structure is sound enough that we will weather this. Now that so much corporate money is affecting elections, we need to be really careful where we spend our money so that that money doesn't work against us.
Telegraph
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Meet the Greta Thunberg of UK Athletics – who attends Extinction Rebellion rallies
When Innes FitzGerald emerged two winters ago as the outstanding young British distance runner of her generation, it was not long before she became even more widely known as the 'Greta Thunberg of sport'. She had performed magnificently to finish fourth in the Under-20 European Cross Country Championships in Italy – aged just 16 – following a 20-hour coach and train journey from Devon to Turin that involved even cycling across Paris on a fold-up bike to make a rail connection. She then promptly turned down the chance to travel to Australia for the 2023 World Cross Country Championships. 'I would never be comfortable flying in the knowledge that people could be losing their livelihoods, homes and loves ones as a result,' she wrote in an open to British Athletics. Innes FitzGerald enjoys a runaway victory in the U20/17 women's race at the Cardiff Cross Challenge. — AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 9, 2024 FitzGerald would then follow up winning the London Mini Marathon by joining Extinction Rebellion activists who had gathered in Parliament Square. Now 18, the environmental campaigning continues – and her running has gone from strength to strength – but the realities of pursuing her athletics dream has also prompted some deeply uncomfortable choices. She will make her senior international debut at the European Indoor Championship in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands this week, where she has travelled with the rest of a near 50-strong British team by air. 'Unfortunately, this time, I haven't managed to sort it out logistically – it's been quite complicated,' she explains. 'I've been very busy with uni stuff and other different family issues. I do feel like I should be getting the train there, and that's definitely something I'm going to be doing in the future. 'For me, it's quite gutting that the whole team aren't going together on the train, considering it's so close and so easy to do. Even though I might be doing the wrong thing, just still saying that it's wrong is better than just doing it and not saying it's wrong. 'Whenever I'm getting on a flight, it's never easy. I'm always thinking, 'Oh, I shouldn't be doing this', but I know that I've got to go to these championships to fill my dreams as a professional athlete. So it's just about balancing that and trying to do as much as I can in other areas of my life to try and make up for it, and also just speak out.' A winner of the BBC Green Sport Award in 2023, FitzGerald is flattered by the Thunberg comparison. 'I think Greta is very inspirational,' she says. 'She kind of managed to mobilise so many young people. I think it's a compliment to be associated with her. If I can do anything near to what she's done, then I'll be very happy. I strongly believe that we, as athletes, have a responsibility.' After growing up on a farm in Devon, FitzGerald's interest in climate change stemmed from her father and she now tries to make environmentally friendly changes in her life and will look into how she can carbon offset in the future. She has also been talking with a sports-focused group called Champions for Earth, which is trying to organise mass participation running events with a low carbon footprint. 'I feel like I have a responsibility to look after the people who are in the Global South, or directly affected by extreme weather events,' she says. 'We're not, in the UK, affected by it, but I feel the pain they're feeling, and I feel like it's my responsibility in a more privileged position to help them, and raise awareness for the situations they're in as a result of our actions.' Since her running breakthrough two years ago, FitzGerald has dominated the European Under-20 Cross Country Championships with back-to-back wins. She then set a European indoor 3,000 metres age-group record of 8min 40.05sec earlier this year. Her strength and bold front-running style has prompted comparison with Paula Radcliffe. She got into running as part of her sister's Duke of Edinburgh award and then built up to five 20-minute runs a week during the Covid lockdown. FitzGerald was soon then breaking 18 minutes at her local Seaton Parkrun before persuading her dad to start taking her training at Exeter Harriers, where she has since been mentored by Gavin Pavey and his wife Jo, a former European 10,000m champion and the only British athlete to have competed at five Olympic Games. After completing A-Levels last year in biology, physics and maths, FitzGerald is now studying for a degree in sport and exercise science at the University of Exeter. 'I don't like bigging people up too much, but Innes is very good,' says Gavin Pavey. 'We never know what's going to happen in the future, but it looks promising. She's doing things that other young athletes at this stage haven't done. What's good about what we're doing is her [weekly mileage] volumes aren't very high.' FitzGerald is also emphasising a long-term approach. 'I never really thought I'd have this opportunity – I don't think there's too much pressure on me,' she says. 'I just want to go out there, enjoy it, soak it all up, and hopefully get into that final. That's where I believe I belong. Hopefully compete for one of those medals, but just getting close. There's lots more years of my career left. I don't want to jump into anything too soon, because I'll have nowhere to progress to. It's just about building up that mileage and intensity gradually.'
