Teenage pole vaulter is following in the footsteps of her father and Commonwealth gold medallist, Andy Ashurst

Sophie Ashurst is already making her mark and proving that pole vault is a family affair. She  is determined to follow in the footsteps of her father Andy who won Commonwealth gold in 1986 and was her main coach until recently. 

If her successes so far is any indication, there could well be more medals destined for the Ashurst household.

In July of last year, Sophie finished first at English Schools with a PB and Championship best of 4.21m. Her impressive jump also launched her into the British record books as the fifth best ever by a British under-20 woman.

She enjoyed success at five other competitions, including the England U20 Championships, and finished a respectable sixth at the British Championships in June. She has also been added to the British Athletics Futures Academy programme.

How did you get into athletics?
My dad introduced me when I was eight and took me to the track to try out pole vault. I loved it and took to it straight away. I did a lot of other sports growing up – mainly gymnastics, hockey and handball – then specialised in athletics when I was 16. Trying other sports definitely helped my athletics.

What it’s like to be coached by your dad?
I really enjoy him being my coach and it’s actually very motivating. He still competes, too, so he pushes me and encourages healthy competition during training. The dynamic at the track is different to when we are at home – we balance it well and know how to act with each other at different times. When we’re at the track he’s coach and when we’re at home he’s Dad.

I’ve now moved to Loughborough for university so he’s not currently my main coach but when I go home he’ll still coach me. He’s always got something to say or add. We do catch up every week over FaceTime for a yoga session and have weekly round-ups about life/training so he’s still ever present. I wouldn’t have got this far without him.

Sophie Ashurst (Gary Mitchell)

Last year in a nutshell

My goal for 2021 was just to compete and regain confidence since losing out on most of the 2020 competition season due to Covid. My first competition back I got my first PB in over two years (3.96m) and then cleared four metres for the first time at the Loughborough International, so I was pretty pleased with that. I then won U20 Nationals/European trials with 4.10m and set a new English Schools Championship best performance of 4.21m.

Coming fifth at the European Under-20 Champs was an incredible experience and now I’ve moved to Loughborough University where I’ve got a great set of coaches (Kate Rooney and Scott Simpson) and I’m currently focusing on the indoor season.

Hopes for 2022 and beyond
My main focus is qualifying for the world U20 Championships in Colombia in August where I’m hoping to win a medal. I don’t want to focus on too many things at once so that is step one.

Beyond 2022 I want to represent Great Britain at major senior international competitions – obviously the World Championships and Olympics are the goal for any athlete. My ultimate aim is to be in the sport for as long as possible and just enjoy it because that is the most important thing to me.

» This article first appeared in the January issue of AW magazine, which you can buy here

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