Lauren Hemp was the one who started Great Britain's two first Olympic Games group games. They booked their place in quarter-finalsTokyo Olympic Games on BBC Dates: 23 Jul-8 Aug Time in Tokyo: BST+8. Listen live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer and BBC Red Button; Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra, and Sounds; Live text and video clips available on BBC Sport app and website.Lauren Hemp's football career has taken off, but Lauren Hemp is still the little girl who used beg her dad to go to the park.The Manchester City forward is currently preparing for Great Britain’s quarter-final against Australia at Tokyo's Olympic Games on Friday. This comes less than two years since she made her debut in England at the age of 19.She is fearless and driven, which excites fans. However, Hemp's pitch-playing style is quiet, unassuming, and funny according to those who know her best."She makes me laugh, with her little one-liners," Esme Morgan, best friend and City teammate says."We laugh at each other constantly. Although she's not the most sharp, she's sharp with her banter. You will be ripped to pieces by her return."Hemp won her first FA Cup in 2020 with City at Wembley and was later named PFA Young Player Of The Year.She has excelled at every stage in her career, breaking through Bristol City's centre for excellence, moving to City and taking the show for England as an adolescent.It's not surprising to her parents Julie and Kevin who noticed her competitive nature at an early age."I can recall that we used to have small gardens and she would launch the tennis ball at me. Kevin said that she would take the tennis ball out of the air like an apple from a tree."I was able to go along to the Norfolk cross-country final. There were so many young runners with smart running shirts. I was shocked when Lauren, a football shirt-wearing athlete, came down the finish line wearing multi-coloured socks and grotty trainers.Julie, Mum Julie said that she has always been competitive. She is an example of this with the hemp Olympics she did in her back yard with her sister. She kept doing the events until she won them all!It's part her make-up. She always wanted to be the best, no matter if it was in a colouring contest or at the Hemp Olympics.Lauren Hemp (left), and Esme Morgan, Esme's best friend, play together in Manchester CityHemp has been on the biggest stages of football in her short career, but has always performed despite nerves.Morgan, a flatmate, says Hemp enjoys relaxing at home. This helps her to manage the stress."We are sitting next to each other in our dressing room, so she sometimes turns to me and says, 'I'm nervous! She is generally very levelheaded.You wouldn't even know she had just won the lottery, or been the recipient of the worst news in the entire world. She is calm and steady, even before matches."I don’t think she realizes how talented and gifted she is. She plays the same way she has always played. She's humble despite everyone telling her how great she is.Hemp, at 16 years old, left home to play for Bristol City full-time - a decision that dad Kevin described as the "biggest sacrifice I have ever made in my life.""When we left her we were heart-broken. We cried the whole way home. Although she was in tears, she is strong mentally. She would not be stopped by anything."After impressing in a young age, Lauren Hemp moved to Manchester City from Bristol City.She communicates with her family often, Facetiming Morgan when she is at home, and also laughing with them on social media.Her parents are proud to see their daughter participate in the Olympics.Julie says that her mum is constantly amazed by what she accomplishes. She is a beautiful person. We are overwhelmed to have her as our daughter."It's amazing to be able call her Olympian. We are so proud of her."Kevin says, "I know she is my daughter, but it's just that I have never met anyone like her."People who are closest to Hemp use many words to describe it: kind, loving, competitive, funny and generous.She'll likely tell me "no, you are the happy one, not I" because she says that she is the grumpy housemate. Morgan jokes that "that's not necessarily true."It is evident that Hemp is a rising star in her field of work, but she is still a humble little girl who wants to play soccer at the park with her dad.
