19 December 2014

Britain’s number one hammer thrower Sophie Hitchon (coach: Tore Gustafsson) is looking for a strong 2015 and admits there is plenty to work on despite winning a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.

“I know if I was in my best shape then I could have won the gold in Glasgow. I wasn’t in the best shape and hadn’t had my best year and at the time the bronze was disappointing but reflecting upon it, it was a good achievement for me this year”, Hitchon said.

The hammer requires strength, power and good technique and as the Blackburn athlete analyses her season, she noticed that a loss of weight affected these attributes and her performances this summer, including failing to qualify for the final at the European Championships in Zurich.

“I lost quite a bit of weight this season which didn’t help towards how the year went. At the end of the season I was about 68kg but I want to get back up to where I was at the start of the year at 73kg, or maybe up to 75kg. It’s not a massive amount but you want lean muscle mass which is useable.

“I’m working with the nutritionist at British Athletics and they have been really helpful. It has mainly been upping my calorie and protein intake so it hasn’t been too difficult.”

The former ballet dancer pays great attention to other athletes and insists she is constantly learning from them to become a better athlete.

“At the European Championships, I didn’t qualify for the final but I still went to the stadium for the final to see how the other girls warmed up and how they got focused ahead of the event. I don’t think you ever stop learning and you take something from each competition.”

The 2013 European U23 hammer gold medallist is the youngest female hammer thrower in the top 20 rankings and she speaks enthusiastically about being part of the new generation in the event.

“It definitely motivates me and I’m looking to climb higher up those rankings. It is time for a new era to come through in the hammer.”

The event is on a high after Anita Włodarczyk broke Betty Heidler’s hammer world record in August with a throw of 79.58m. The mark is getting ever-closer to that 80m boundary which is inspiring for the 2012 Olympian.

“I’ve known Anita for a while, and she’s always been on the verge of that world record and I was delighted when she got it. The mark is so close to 80m now so hopefully one day the women’s record will go over that mark and hopefully in the future I’ll be up there in the mix.”

In 2013, Hitchon broke the British record in the hammer with a throw of 72.97m at the European Team Championships in Gateshead. She is hoping to go further next year and put herself amongst the world’s elite.

“I want to push my PB on a little bit further – I didn’t manage that this year which was the first year I haven’t done that. I really want to make the final and maybe top eight at the World Championships in Beijing. That would be a great step forward for me next year.”

Follow Sophie’s progress via twitter – @SophieHitchon