Hollie Williamson, age 13, of Shrewsbury Athletics Club smashed the long standing High Jump record at the Aviva UK Sportshall Final. She cleared an amazing height of 1m 62, almost as high as herself , a height which no other UK 13 year old has ever cleared in a Sportshall event.
Hollie was invited to compete in these finals as a result of her performance at the West Midlands Regional event in February. The UK National final took place at the NEC Arena in Birmingham and also featured Adele Nichol, former Oswestry Olympian, breaking the UK Sportshall U15 girls Shot Putt record!
The 2012 athletics season has begun in some style for Hollie who already has performances in three disciplines which exceed the entry standard for the English Schools National Finals. This is all the more remarkable as Hollie is in her first year of the Under 15 age group.
“I love athletics”, says Hollie,”It is the best thing that has ever happened to me! It has given me the opportunity to make friendships that will last a lifetime and to meet my idols”. Hollie was watched, and congratulated by, Robbie Grabarz at the Sportshall Finals. Robbie is currently the UK’s number one male high jumper and will be competing at the London Olympics.
“When I broke the record and Robbie came over, I nearly started crying I was so happy!”
Hollie trains three times per week at the Shrewsbury athletics track, focussing primarily on hurdles, high jump and long jump with her coach Arnie Wray, but she will be competing for the first time, later in the year, in the Shropshire Schools Combined Events Championships and is hoping for a chance to compete against the best in the country over the five events of the pentathlon. She is currently ranked 2nd in the UK in the U15 hurdles.
“Hollie is one of the most naturally gifted young athletes I have worked with” says Arnie, her coach, “but natural talent is never enough. I have seen so many gifted young athletes lose their way because their attitude is wrong. Hollie is one of those rare individuals who loves training, listens carefully and has the ability to learn new skills quickly. She is also really friendly and gets on with everybody. With careful nurturing, Hollie has a great future in athletics”
Hollie is now faced with the dilemma of choosing which of her disciplines to compete in at the English Schools finals at Gateshead in July.
