With the World Junior Championships at the end of the season in Beijing, Double Olympic Champion Dame Kelly Holmes hosted a get together for 15 of the country’s top junior middle distance athletes in the East End of London this weekend for a progress report as part of the Norwich Union funded "On Camp with Kelly" initiative.
With the World Junior Championships at the end of the season in Beijing, Double Olympic Champion Dame Kelly Holmes hosted a get together for 15 of the country’s top junior middle distance athletes in the East End of London this weekend for a progress report as part of the Norwich Union funded "On Camp with Kelly" initiative. The weekend also included an audience with Lord Sebastian Coe to discuss the London Olympic Games in which they will be hoping to compete in 2012, followed by a tour of the proposed venues for the Games.
The girls and their coaches joined Holmes as she helped focus on their preparations for the season ahead, culminating in the World Juniors. To qualify for the Championships, however, they will be competing with each other for places on the coveted Norwich Union GB Team.
Kelly Holmes said: “The weekend was all about monitoring the girls’ progress since I last caught up with them, and focusing their minds on the challenges ahead. We have real depth in female middle distance running and competition for places in British teams will be fierce. This can only be a good thing for the long term future of British athletics and I will be watching the girls very closely.”
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Notes to Editors
On Camp with Kelly
"On Camp with Kelly" (OCWK) started in Jan 2004 with the support and sponsorship from Norwich Union and has grown from strength to strength. There have now been over 30 girls that have had some level of involvement.
Double Olympic Champion Dame Kelly Holmes set up OCWK because she wanted to help the future of female middle distance athletes. Her vision of OCWK was that it should be an educational development programme so that those attending gain life experiences as well as the knowledge of what it takes to become a world class athlete.
Eight girls were given the opportunity to go on the first OCWK programme to South Africa in Oct/Nov 2004 and since then there has been a get together weekend in Loughborough, warm weather training in Spain and Australia during the 2006 Commonwealth Games as well as the opportunity to race in international races in Glasgow, Sheffield and the Great North Mile in Newcastle. At various camps the girls were also given access to Holmes’ own support team including Alison Rose - physio, Paul Dijkstra - doctor, Margo Jennings - coach.
Further initiatives are planned to help support and mentor the next generation of British medal hopefuls.
The girls involved:
Dani Christmas, 18 from Horley, Surrey
One of the original "On Camp with Kelly" girls, Dani won the 800m at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo, Australia (Dec 2004) and also the Under 20 Great North Mile in September 2005. In 2004 she won the English Schools 1500m title at Gateshead and also represented Great Britain in the U20 International, winning the 1500m in 4:24.51.
Jo Finch, 17 from Newton Mearns, Glasgow
Has been a regular on all "On Camp with Kelly" initiatives after having won the middle distance double at the 2004 Scottish Schools Championships. Jo recently came fifth in AAA U20 800m and hopes to study at Loughborough University. Named as the Daily Record "Scottish Young Athlete of the Year" in January.
Hannah Brooks, 17 from Caterham, Surrey
Hannah won the 2005 English Schools Senior Girls 800m title and took bronze in the 800m at the Under 20 Norwich Union AAAs Championships. Hannah was one of the girls selected by Kelly to join her in Melbourne
Hannah England, 18 from Oxford
Hannah won the middle distance double at the UK Women’s Athletics League Qualifier in 2005. She also won the Under 20 Norwich Union AAAs indoor title and took Silver at the English Schools 1500m. She also joined Kelly in Melbourne.
Emily Goodall, 17 from Haywards Heath, West Sussex
In 2005, Emily won the English Schools Inter Girls 800m as well as the Norwich Union Under 17s 800m Indoor and Outdoor titles. Emily also joined Kelly in Melbourne.
Nikki Maddick, 18 from Kingston-upon Hull
Nicola was second to fellow OCWK girl Hannah Brooks in the English Schools Senior 800m, and finished 3rd in the 2005 Under 20 Great North Mile. Nikki also joined Kelly in Melbourne.
Non Stanford, 17 from Penllergaer, Swansea
One of the original OCWK girls, Non won the 2004 and 2005 London mini marathons and narrowly missed out on a treble this year when she was pipped in the home straight by fellow OCWK girl Stephanie Twell. She also had a fantastic 3000m at the Norwich Union World Indoor Trials where she set a Welsh Junior record and ran the field - including the future Commonwealth 1500m champion Lisa Dobriskey - close.
Rachael Thompson, 20 from Crosby, Liverpool
After South Africa, Rachael finished sixth in the 800m at the Norwich Union European Indoor Senior Trials. After winning the 1500m at the Norwich Union Under 23 International she went on to be the youngest member of the Norwich Union GB Team at the European Under 23 Championships, competing in the 800m.
Charlotte Browning, 18 from Loughborough
Charlotte won four consecutive AAA 1500m titles between 2001 and 2003, as well as dominating cross country winning the Inter-Counties title in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She finished sixth in the 1500m at the 2003 World Youth Games and has been involved in several of the OCWK warm weather training camps.
Hannah Whitmore, from Leicester
Hannah has raced mentor Dame Kelly over 800m at the 2004 Norwich Union Olympic Trials, coming fourth behind in her heat behind the Double Olympic Champion elect. She went on to win that year’s 800m at the Norwich union Under 23s AAAs Championships. In 2005 Hannah won the "On Camp with Kelly" one mile exhibition race at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix in Sheffield, and this year she finished sixth in the senior Norwich Union World Indoor Trials over 1500m.
Carolyn Plateau from Oxford
Carolyn finished sixth in the 1500m at the 2005 World Youth Championships and won the 600m "On Camp with Kelly" exhibition race at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix in Sheffield. This year she successfully defended her Junior UK Indoor 800m title.
Laura Finucane, 19 from Pendle, Lancs
Another original OCWK girl, Laura won the 800m at the Norwich Union AAAs Under 20 Championships in 2004 and finished seventh at the World Junior Championships. She went on to finish a very creditable fifth in the 400m at the 2005 Norwich Union World and Commonwealth Trials in a very strong field containing several members of the British 4x400m relay team that won bronze at that year’s World Championships.
Emma Pallant from Surrey
Emma was part of the Norwich Union GB Team at the World Youth Games in 2005, running the 1500m. This year, Emma finished third in the South of England Cross Country and fifth in the London mini marathon.
Becky Townsend, 19 from Leeds
In 2005, Becky won the North of England 1500m Indoor title, and came second in the 800m. This year, despite carrying injuries, she finished fifth in the Indoor AAAs Becky finished sixth in the BUSA 800m indoor championships, fifth in the AAA 1500m. She went on to win the North England indoor championships and came second in the 800m.
Danielle Walker, 17 from Sutton Coldfield
Danielle has been involved in several "On Camp with Kelly" initiatives, including the original camp in South Africa in October 2004.