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Holly Bleasdale is a young British
athlete that vaulted herself into medal contention for the London 2012 Olympic
Games by breaking the British record and winning the European u23 title in a
break through 2011 season. At just 19 years old Holly has been ranked 6th
in the World and is set to be the future of UK Athletics.
Holly’s Junior career gained note
when she broke the British Junior pole vault record in June 2010, with a vault
of 4.35m. A month later, she won Bronze at the 2010 World Junior
Championship. Holly's first competition of the 2011 season, was the 2011
European Indoor Championships where she finished 11th in the qualifying
round, with a best vault of 4.45m. Later in 2011, she represented Great
Britain in the European Team Championships, where she finished in 5th
place. In June 2011, Holly set a new British U23 record with a 4.53m
vault at the British Under-23 Championships in Bedford. However, just 5 days
after this, Holly obliterated the British record and set a world record for her
age group with a 4.70m vault, eclipsing her own personal best by 17cm and
ranking her number 6 in the world. Proving her early-July heroics were no
flash in the pan Holly clinched Gold in Ostrava. The youngest competitor in the
women’s pole vault final, Holly entered the competition with a first-time
clearance at 4.30m, then took two attempts at 4.45m to move into the lead – a
position she maintained through to the end.
Sports fanatic Holly took up the
Pole Vault only three years ago after attending some taster sessions run by her
now coach. She thoroughly enjoyed it, and has never looked back. At just 19
years old Holly is a down to earth and bubbly individual with a bright future
ahead of her. Away from the track she has enrolled in a Sports Science degree
course at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Holly has a real chance to win a
medal in front of her home crowd at the 2012 London Olympics. Whether she does
or not she will be at the forefront of the UK and World athletics scene for
years to come.
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