What a way to end your competitive athletic career. Holly Bradshaw took on five meetings in four weeks and won four of them before ending it all in the Golden Fly Series held in Geneva, Switzerland. Winning in Italy and Germany three times, Geneva marked the end of a 16 year long careeer in Pole Vaulting which had seen her win British titles, European U23 Championships, European Indoor Championships, as well as medals at the European Championships, World Junior Championships and World Senior Championships – topped off by becoming a four time Olympian, having placed 6th in London 2012, 5th in Rio 2016 and before concluding her Olympic career in Paris 2024, Holly had medalled in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo taking bronze with a height of 4.85m preced by setting, at the time, a new British Record of 4.90m in winning the British Championships.
Against the background of a big crowd, sunshine, the lake and its fountain
(Video of Holly’s final Vault)
The final word has to left to Holly herself who posted on her social media, her thoughts at the time saying “My last bar has been cleared and it has been an emotional day. Starting out in May 2007 clearing 2.00m and finishing in September 2024 clearing 4.20m, it’s the end of an era and what an era it has been!. I don’t really know what to say because it is hard to summarise my 16 years of being a professional pole vaulter easily! It’s been a whirlwind, a beautiful, sometimes traumatic journey filled with highs and lows but SO many cool experiences, laughs, smiles, cries, injuries, medals, box misses, British records and so on. One of the great things about my career is i have met so many incredible people along the way and been to so many amazing places and for that i am so grateful. When i started my jorney back in 2007 i really didn’t know where jumping over a bar with a stick would go but i absolutely couldn’t have predicted i would have achieved what i have sitting here now. I started my journey with pure love and devotion for pole vaulting and i am happy to say that is how i will be finishing. I love pole vaulting with all my heart and i will miss the feeling of flying off a pole so very much but it is time for me to start a new chapter. Whatever that may entail i know it will be equally as exciting as this chapter i am now closing“
Holly Bradshaw – Photo courtesy of @NetAchen
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England Athletics have chosen their U23 Men’s and Women’s teams to represent England in taking on Europe’s best Under 23s at Corsa dei Castelli on Sunday October 20th over 10k. Congratulations to Blackburn Harriers Matt Ramsden on his selection for the team following personal best times of 13.48.12 for 5000m, 13.49 for 5k and 29.45.04 for 10000m this year he is deserving of his selection and we wish him well in the race. Matt’s selection follows his previous selection at this race – for the England U20 Team in 2022 at which he won the Silver Medal in a time of 29.57.
(England Athletics Announcement)
Matt Ramsden
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