Abigail Irozuru facts for kids
.jpg) Irozuru at the 2020 Gyulai Memorial |
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain |
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| Women's athletics | ||
| Commonwealth Youth Games | ||
| Gold | 2008 Pune | Long jump |
Abigail Irozuru, born on January 3, 1990, in Manchester, England, is a talented long jumper. She is a track and field athlete who competes for Great Britain. A train was even named after her in 2011 by Virgin Trains West Coast! She trained with the Sale Harriers club, just like famous athletes Diane Modahl and Darren Campbell.
Contents
About Abigail Irozuru
Early Life and Background
Abigail Irozuru was born in Manchester. Her parents are from the Igbo people in Nigeria.
Starting Her Athletics Journey
Abigail began her journey in athletics when she was 14 years old. She showed great skill at a youth sports event, winning four different races: the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4 x 100 meters relay, and the long jump. Because of her amazing performance, she was invited to train at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Her talent quickly became clear. In 2006, Abigail won silver medals at both the English Schools Championships and the British Schools Championships. She competed against many other skilled young jumpers.
Abigail's Athletics Career
Training and Early Success
After becoming a top junior athlete, Abigail moved to London. There, she studied law at University College London. She also trained with John Herbert, who was a head coach for long and triple jumps for UK Athletics. He also coached Jade Johnson, who competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Later, Larry Achike became her coach. He helped her win a silver medal in the 2012 National Indoor Long Jump. She also won a gold medal in her first senior international competition in Bratislava.
Reaching Olympic Standards
On June 9, 2012, at a competition in Sofia, Bulgaria, Abigail made an amazing jump of 6.80 meters. This was her best jump ever and met the distance needed to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, at the UK Olympic Trials in Birmingham on June 24, 2012, she jumped 6.48 meters. This meant she had to compete at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Comeback and World Championships
Abigail decided to retire from athletics in 2016. But she made an exciting comeback in 2019! She improved her personal best jump to 6.86 meters. She also reached the final at the World Championships in Doha, where she finished in seventh place.
Abigail's Personal Life
Abigail Irozuru is a Christian. In an interview, she was asked how she would describe herself. She said, "I always try to start with being a daughter of the Almighty God - my dad calls me that. And an athlete for sure, and a speaker. I'm a coach and a daughter, a sister... so much."
See also
In Spanish: Abigail Irozuru para niños
