Pole vault star hoping to regain best form outdoors
vault star Sophie Ashurst is ready to bounce back from indoor disappointment and take on new tests this summer, writes Oli Dickson Jefford, of Sportsbeat.
Ashurst, who trains at Loughborough University, finished sixth at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Cali last season, cementing her place among the best vaulters of her generation.
With the 19-year-old moving up to U23 competition this season, she now wants to put recent struggles behind her ahead of the summer.
She said: “At the World Junior Championships I achieved a season’s best of 4.15m.
“For this indoor season I had a season’s best of 4.03m, so a bit lower than my outdoor season. That’s to do with a few small injuries - I haven’t fully reached where I wanted to be this indoor season.
“Recently I’ve been having a few good vault sessions and I’m feeling a lot more confident for the outdoor season. My body is healthy, touch wood!
“My main goal is to qualify for the U23 European Championships in Finland. I’ve got to come top two at the trials, which are in the middle of June.
“For me it’s just about getting there, but I would like to make the final as well. The step up from U20s to U23 is quite big.
“I’m at the bottom of the age category and there’s two years above me. There are some very good U23 girls, so just making it there would be a good achievement in itself.”
Ashurst is one of 50 young athletes supported by Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, as part of their long-standing partnership with SportsAid.
The vaulter has been a long-term beneficiary of Entain support, and that support has never been more crucial with some of athletics’ biggest events in her sights.
“Definitely looking ahead I want to go to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Australia,” added Ashurst.
“I was only nine centimetres off qualifying for Birmingham, so I definitely think that’s a reasonable goal to have. Then the Olympics in 2028, I think I can get there.
“When I got the Entain grant this year, I was able to spend some of it on buying two new poles. I’m currently on 14ft poles and with the Entain money I’ve managed to buy 14’7” poles which I hopefully will be able to use next year, once I develop as an athlete.
“It’s just really good having their support. Pole vaulting can be very expensive and I’ve never been able to afford my own poles before. It’s quite special having two of my own.”
■ Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. To to find out more, visit: