NO British woman has hurled the hammer as far as Blackburn Harrier Sophie Hitchon.
Indeed, Britain has never won a hammer competition at a global senior event, a statistic Burnley’s Hitchon, who finished in the top dozen in the world at the London Olympics, is desperate to change.
On Sunday she broke her own British record in the hammer at the European Team Championships in Gateshead, securing Hitchon a place at the World Championships in Russia.
Hitchon heaved her throw 72.97 metres, extending her record by 99 centimetres.
“Even though I did what I wanted to do at the Olympics, by getting to the final and doing really well, I want to do better this year and I’m achieving that,” she said.
“Now I have the European Under 23 Championships in Finland next month, where I won bronze in 2011, and then the Worlds in August, where I’m aiming for the top eight.
“This year could be just as big as 2012 in terms of my development in the hammer.
“I was so chuffed with my performance at Gateshead – it was another giant step.”
Hitchon was not born when Tessa Sanderson, the last British woman to win an Olympic throwing gold, stood on top of the podium in 1984 in the javelin.
Dubbed the glamour with the hammer, Hitchon certainly does not fit the stereotype of those in her trade.
Hitchon – an athletic 5ft 9in – feels women throwers, be it shot, javelin, or hammer are wrongly stereotyped as being of a larger build.
“It has changed now from the old style of big, Eastern Bloc women,” said Hitchon.
“It is more about technique and speed. Hopefully, I’ve changed the perception of girls in hammer throwing, that you don’t have to be a monster to throw far. I want to inspire girls to take up the hammer, and I don’t see many of the stereotypical hammer throwers anymore.
“There’s a new generation of British girls who have taken up the sport, perhaps because of what they saw at the Olympics and that’s brilliant.”
The former World Junior champion, and the current senior British record holder, threw 71.98m at the Olympics and with her new coach Tore Gustafsson – a Swedish three-times Olympic finalist – Hitchon is looking towards the top of the tree.
“The Olympic experience was incredible, from carrying the torch to appearing in the Olympic final, and it is something that I’ll always cherish,” added Hitchon, who was the first British track and field athlete to guarantee a place at London 2012 “I can’t say it has changed my life, though. I’m still the same person, doing what I do.
“Olympic qualifying was a tough road, but I’ve always been good under pressure – I just seem to be able to pull it out of the bag when I need to.”
Hitchon admits she has matured as an athlete this year and also has the 2014 Commonwealth Games on her radar.
“If someone had said to me in 2007 that in four years I’d be at a World Championship, going to the Olympics and be a British record holder having travelled the world, I would have just gone, ‘Yeah right, you’re having a laugh.’”
Her progress is all the more surprising when you discover that, between the ages of four and 14, she was a ballerina. We did shows every two years at the Burnley Mechanics,” recalled Hitchon.
“I always remember my first. I was a duckling in The Ugly Duckling and I had a lovely white tutu with sparkles on it.
“Ballet has actually really helped me to get where I am with the hammer now.
“The stage performance gave me a lot of confidence in front of an audience and I’m sure that helps me not be daunted by competing with big crowds watching.”
The ballet shoes are now gathering dust, replaced initially by sprinter’s running spikes.
Yet Hitchon’s background is not just a good tale from her past – it played a crucial role in developing her agility.
The other vital abilities for hammer throwers are speed and strength. Hitchon can run the 100 metres in 12.1 seconds and lift 80kg – three kilogrammes more than her bodyweight.
She had been an ambitious county-level performer in the 100m, 200m, shot-put and high jump, but in the hammer she found the perfect outlet for her abilities. At first I couldn’t even let the hammer go,” she said.
“You just start off by swinging it while standing and move on to learning footwork and runs.
“Your feet take care of themselves after a while and my progression was very quick.
“I think all my coaches were shocked at how I picked it up, but I always wanted to be paid to do sport.
“I’m ecstatic that it’s worked out.”
In her first three seasons she broke 15 junior and Under-23 records.
“I love the challenge more than anything, though,” added Hitchon.
“I don’t want to be one of those who says I’m throwing this in training but can’t reproduce it in competition.
“When I competed in London I was walking around the athletes village and Usain Bolt walked past and I was like ‘Oh my God’, but you realise you are there to compete at the same championships and it is nice to know.
“A lot has happened in the last year but I need to stay focused and consistent because I want to throw further now.”
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