Sarah Holt (born 17 April 1987) is a British athlete who specializes in the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...

, her personal best is 68.97m. She was born in

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Holt has represented Great Britain Athletics Team consistently since 2006. She began athletics at the age of 12, competing for Spenborough and District Athletics Club. She then went on to compete for Sale Harriers Manchester, her current club. Career highlights include European U23 bronze medallist (2009), Double England Champion (2011, 2012) and

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

representative (2010). Holt attended

Whitcliffe Mount School Whitcliffe Mount School is a mixed secondary school located in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, England. History It was established as Cleckheaton Secondary School in 1908 in temporary premises on Brooke Street. The school moved to its current loc ...

in Cleckheaton. where she had academic success, achieving straight A grades at A-Level (geography, psychology, physical education). Her academics continued at

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...

where she gained a BSc in Geography and Sport science (2:1).

Career

Junior career

Holt began athletics at the age of 12 where she broke the UK age 12 national record, throwing 22.40m. Her training at this age was sporadic as she enjoyed participating in other sports and athletic events. In 2001/2, Holt was selected to represent England Schools, and was coached by Michael Morley. She had success at the English Schools Championships, achieving bronze, silver and gold medals (2003–2005). Holt represented Great Britain U20 team in 2006, competing at the World Junior Championships (Beijing). In the under 23 age group Holt topped the British ranking for three years. and broke the British under 23 national record. In 2009, she threw 62.55m to gain a bronze medal in at the European under 23 Championships (Kaunas, Lithuania). Holt was also selected as team captain for these championships. Her coach at the time was John Pearson.

Senior career

Holt was first selected to represent the British senior team in 2010 at the European Team’s Championships in Bergen, Norway. She has continued her development and was a part of the European Championships team in Helsinki, Finland 2012. In addition, Holt represented England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Her current coach is Robert Weir. who she has spent time training with in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Holt has improved her personal best every year since 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Sarah 1987 births Sportspeople from Dewsbury British female hammer throwers Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for England People educated at Whitcliffe Mount School English female hammer throwers