TWO Olympians from East Lancashire have bared all for a glamorous magazine shoot.

Sophie Hitchon, 24, British hammer record holder and 2012 Olympic pentathlon silver medalist Samantha Murray, posed for the Women’s Health “Naked Issue”.

Sophie, of Burnley, is in training for the World Athletics Championships in Beijing but took time out from her intense preparation for the shoot.

She is pictured swinging the hammer, naked on a tall building with the London skyline in the background.

Sophie said: “I love my big thighs. I wouldn’t be able to pick up a hammer without them. I put blood, sweat and tears into building them up.

“When I was younger, I always wished I was more petite or willowy. Now they’re a symbol of my success as an athlete.

“I won’t lie. As a woman, there are times when you look in the mirror and think, ‘I wish this was smaller, I wish that was flatter’.

“But when you’re an athlete, you need to train for your PB, not what you look like.”

World champion pentathlete and former Blackburn Harrier Samantha, who grew up in Clitheroe, is seen posing with her fencing foil and mask.

She said: “People say pentathletes have sport’s most beautiful bodies because of their diverse training plan. I’ve got the tone of a swimmer, the leanness of a runner, strong thighs from riding and good glutes from fencing.

“I’ll always stay in good shape, but this is probably the best my body will ever look – and I couldn’t respect it more.”

Joining Sophie and Samantha, was Fran Halsall, European champion swimmer.

Sophie added: “Last year, my weight dropped because I was burning so many calories in training. I lost a couple of dress sizes, but the distance I could throw went downhill quickly.

“It was a slog to get back to 75kg, but upping my protein got me back to my peak.”

Sophie already has one eye on the Rio 2016 Olympics.

“Rio is the thing on everyone’s mind and I would be incredibly proud to be a part of it again.”

  • The full interviews appear in the September Naked Issue of Women’s Health, on sale now. It is also available in digital edition on Apple Newsstand.