HOLLY Bradshaw admitted she was ‘heartbroken’ after finishing sixth in the Olympic pole vault final four years ago - this time around she’s determined to seize her chance.

Blackburn Harrier Bradshaw, 24, comfortably progressed to tonight’s final in Rio, clearing 4.60m to rank as the second best qualifier.

In 2012, she was viewed as a leading medal target but admitted she stuttered in the pressure of her first Olympic final.

She’s vowed to learn that lesson today but after a difficult few years, is also happy just to be back and competitive and having fun.

“I’ve always believed that you are an athlete to win medals, not just make finals,” she said.

“When I was younger it was all about medals but now it’s more about learning from my experiences and becoming a stronger athlete for it.

“In London I was pretty heartbroken after that final. I’d had a lot of pressure on me because I’d been in good form all year.

“I do think everything happens for a reason and I can’t forget that four years ago I’d only been in the sport for four years. When you think of that, finishing sixth in the Olympic final is a good job.”

Bradshaw’s reflective mood is probably down to the fact that her road to Rio has hardly been smooth.

After making her breakthrough she suffered a debilitating back injury in 2013 that had her out of action for 18 months, only returning to competition at last year’s World Championships in Beijing, when she finished an encouraging seventh.

“Even when I was out I never had any doubts that I’d get back to this level. I knew if I was injury-free then my best jumping would be ahead of me,” she added.

“Nothing beats to the feeling of walking out at a major championships, doing what you do best, so hopefully the Olympic final will be like that.

“All the heartache and pain I went through seemed like nothing when I was stood out there in the World Championships final, loving it, competing to a high standard again. It’s exactly the same in Rio.”

Bradshaw's final starts at 12.30am on Saturday morning.

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