Vaulter Holly owes it all to the Harriers (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Vaulter Holly owes it all to the Harriers

8:50am Saturday 10th December 2011 in Athletics

London 2012 is just seven months away – and three Blackburn Harriers stars are ready to impress on the biggest stage. Here ANDY CRYER chats to Chorley-born Holly Bleasdale, who has taken British pole vaulting by storm over the past 12 months ... HOLLY Bleasdale may be travelling to London 2012 next summer as one of Great Britain’s hot young prospects but the Chorley athlete isn’t about to forget the people who made it all possible.

The 20-year-old pole vaulter is the current British record holder and European under 23 champion but, having only taken the sport up less than four years ago, she admits it could easily have been so very different.

Bleasdale is a former gymnast, heptathlete and hurdler and it was during a hurdling training session back in 2008 that her life changed for ever.

“Everyone asks me, ‘why pole vault?’” she said. “You can’t blame them either as it isn’t exactly a sport that most people get the opportunity to get into.

“It was Blackburn Harriers who got me into it. I have always done sport and gymnastics and I was doing hurdles at the track when they brought up a six week taster session in pole vaulting and I thought I would give it a try.

“I enjoyed it and took it from there. When you first go you don’t just pick up a massive pole and jump. You first use a pole that is small and that doesn’t bend but the quicker it gets the more it bends. It was a good learning curve.

“I wouldn’t be here if I was still doing hurdles. Pole vault is definitely the sport for me.”

Now, Bleasdale will travel to the London Olympics aiming to at least reach the pole vault final, with much loftier ambitions at the back of her mind, having already shown she can mix it with the world’s best.

She became the first British pole vaulter ever to win a medal in a global championships, with bronze in the 2010 world juniors and she then followed that up with gold in the european under 23s earlier this year.

She has since broken Kate Dennison’s record to become Britain’s leading vaulter and has recently joined the ‘Wells Sports Foundation’ stable in a boost to her Olympic preparations.

Liverpool entrepreneur Barrie Wells’ foundation provides some of Britain’s top prospects with funding help, as well helping at the grass roots of their sports, with Bleasdale joining the likes of Jessica Ennis, Dai Greene and swimmer Hannah Miley among his ranks.

Bleasdale said: “I want to go to the Olympics and get the experience but I think I can compete with the top jumpers in the world. I really think I can make the final and that is going to be the main aim but the way I am jumping, I think I can go there and do something special.

“It is exciting. You hear about it everywhere. To be 20 years old and to be able to compete in an Olympics in your home country is just a massive privilege.

“Barrie Wells has a few athletes and triathletes. He is really trying to help athletes, kind of like being a sponsor for them but on a more personal basis. I have only just started being helped by him.

“I have gone to two primary schools now as part of it as well and been able to teach kids how to do pole vault and it is helping me with my confidence. I have really enjoyed that.”

A slight blip in Bleasdale’s meteoric rise came in the World Championships in Korea in August when she failed to make the final but she is adamant she has learned from the experience.

She said: “It was a great experience because at the start of the season I had not jumped the qualifying for the worlds. My main aim at the start was the European under 23s. So I peaked for that.

“We tried to come back down and go back up for the Worlds but it just didn’t happen. I was still quite a young athlete back then, I had not developed so much. Trying to hold my peak for that long was going to be a challenge and it didn’t pay off but I have learn a lot from it.

“I could have decided not to go because I knew I wasn’t going to be in the shape I wanted to be but I thought this is going to be the next biggest stage towards the Olympics, so to get that experience in front of a big crowd would be amazing.

“I thought a big crowd would spur me on and it did although my speed and technique was not there because I was coming down from my peak. I know now though a big crowd spurs me on.

“I knew before it what was going wrong so at least I can correct that for the future.”