Britain’s number one hammer thrower Sophie Hitchon insists there is plenty to come from her in 2015 after claiming the first senior international medal of her career this summer.
Former ballet dancer Hitchon, 23, had long been making waves on the junior circuit, winning Commonwealth Youth Games gold at Pune 2008, as well as titles at the 2010 World Junior Championships and 2013 European Under-23 Championships.
She also broke the British record in 2013 with a throw of 72.97m at the European Team Championships in Gateshead.
That mark would have been enough to claim gold at this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but while only managing 68.72m on the day, it was still enough to get her up on the podium in bronze position.
Hitchon readily admits that she wasn’t on top form last year, and currently works with a nutritionist at British Athletics after suffering from weight loss which affected her performance.
But despite not reaching her peak in 2014, Hitchon is still the youngest female hammer thrower in the top 20 rankings, leaving her targeting a strong performance at next summer’s World Championships in Beijing.
“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,” she said.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
© Sportsbeat 2014