Sally Peake (born 8 February 1986) is a British

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete who specialises in the

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

. She has a personal best of for the event, which is a Welsh record. She was the silver medallist in the pole vault at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

. Peake is a two-time British champion (2013 and 2014). She has represented Great Britain at the

2011 Summer Universiade The 2011 Summer Universiade ( zh, c=2011年夏季世界大学生运动会, p=Èr líng yī yī Nián xiàjì shìjiè dàxuéshēng yùndònghuì), the XXVI Summer Universiade ( zh, c=第二十六届夏季世界大学生运动会, p=Dì Èrshíl ...

and the

2012 European Athletics Championships The 2012 European Athletics Championships were held in Helsinki, Finland between 27 June and 1 July 2012. This edition marks the beginning of a new two-year cycle of the European Athletics Championships which were previously held every four years. ...

, as well as having competed for Wales at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

. In addition to her pole vaulting career, she is a physiotherapist for the

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, Welsh national foo ...

Career

Born in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, Peake initially competed in

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

but gave up the sport in favour of track and field as she grew older. She joined

Liverpool Harriers Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

and focused on

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

and

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

during her early years at the club. She was the 2005 Welsh junior champion in the triple jump and then won the 2006 Welsh indoor title in a personal best of . She struggled to progress in the events and took up pole vaulting at the end of 2008.Sally Peake
Power of 10. Retrieved 5 August 2014. In 2007, she graduated from

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

with a first-class honours science degree and continued to specialise in

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

.Sally Peake
East Midlands Physiotherapy Clinic. Retrieved 5 August 2014. The 2009 season marked her first full year of pole vault competition and she set a best of . She cleared four metres for the first time in June 2010, reaching a height of in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. This gained her selection for the

Welsh team Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

for the

and at the event in New Delhi she placed ninth with a mark of . she has a personal best of 4.40m in pole vault In 2011, she moved to Loughborough to be closer to her coach Scott Simpson. That year she placed third at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships and won the Welsh outdoor title with a vault of . She narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish at the British Athletics Championships. Peake matched that finish on her international debut at the Universiade in

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

, clearing a new best of in the final. With her sights on a place at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, she signed up with Birchfield Harriers andcontinued to improve the following year, achieving a height of on the Perche Élite Tour in February. She retained her Welsh title and was runner-up at the British Olympic trials (behind Holly Bleasdale), but did not achieve the qualifying "A" standard, which was set at four and a half metres. Her senior debut at the

followed and she competed in the qualifying only. The peak of her 2013 season was a win at the British Athletics Championships where—in the absence of Bleasdale—she won with a height of . She also competed at her first

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

event, vaulting at the

London Anniversary Games The London Diamond League, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games, is an annual athletics event held in London, England. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Dia ...

and placing eighth. She did not compete internationally that year. She placed third at the 2014 British Indoor Championships before going on to win the British outdoor title for a second year running. She was beaten by Northern Ireland's Zoe Brown at the Welsh Open Championships, but was still selected for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

at the

. Immediately prior to the competition, she set an outdoor best of at the

Glasgow Grand Prix The London Diamond League, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games, is an annual athletics event held in London, England. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Di ...

test event. At the Commonwealth Games in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

she won her first international medal, clearing in very wet conditions to take the silver medal for Wales.Glasgow 2014: Rain clouds have silver lining for Sally Peake

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...

(3 August 2014). Retrieved 5 August 2014.

Personal bests

Pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

– (2014) *Pole vault indoor – (2012) *

Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

– (2008) *

Triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

– (2008) *Triple jump indoor – (2008)

International competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peake, Sally 1986 births Living people Sportspeople from Chester British female pole vaulters Welsh female pole vaulters English female pole vaulters Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Wales Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games British Athletics Championships winners Competitors at the 2011 Summer Universiade Alumni of Cardiff University Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games