Holly Bradshaw facts for kids
Bradshaw after winning silver at the 2019 European Indoor Championships
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Holly Bethan Bleasdale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Holly Bethan Bradshaw | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 2 November 1991 Preston, Lancashire, Great Britain |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Euxton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 175 cm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 66 kg (10 st 6 lb; 146 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Paul Bradshaw | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Great Britain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Pole Vault | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Blackburn Harriers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Scott Simpson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 4.90m (2021) 4.87m i (2012) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated on October 2024. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Holly Bethan Bradshaw (born 2 November 1991) is a talented English track and field athlete. She is famous for her skills in the pole vault, a sport where athletes use a long, flexible pole to jump over a high bar.
Holly used to hold the British record for pole vaulting, both indoors and outdoors. Her best outdoor jump was 4.90 metres in 2021, and her indoor best was 4.87 metres in 2012. She has won many important medals, including a bronze at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She also earned bronze at the 2012 World Indoor Championships and a gold medal at the 2013 European Indoor Championships. Holly has consistently been one of the best pole vaulters in the world.
Contents
Holly's Early Life and Education
Discovering Pole Vault
Holly Bradshaw started her journey in sports with gymnastics when she was six years old. She continued with gymnastics until she was 11. After that, she decided to try running. It wasn't until she was 17 that she first tried pole vaulting. This is the sport where she would later become a champion!
School and College
Holly went to Parklands Languages High School in Chorley, Lancashire. Later, from 2008 to 2010, she attended Runshaw College in Leyland. There, she completed her A-Levels, which are important exams in the UK.
University Studies
Even while training and competing, Holly continued her education. She studied for a degree in Sports Exercise and Science. She did this through distance learning at Manchester Met University. This allowed her to balance her studies with her demanding training schedule.
Holly's Amazing Pole Vault Career
Starting as a Junior Athlete
Holly's career really took off in June 2010. She broke the British Junior pole vault record with a jump of 4.35 metres. A month later, she competed in the 2010 World Junior Championship. She was expected to win gold, but she ended up with a bronze medal. She jumped 4.15 metres, while the winners jumped higher.
Early Senior Competitions
In 2011, Holly competed in the European Indoor Championships. She finished 11th in the qualifying round. Later that year, she represented Great Britain in the European Team Championships, finishing 5th.
In June 2011, Holly set a new British Under-23 record with a 4.53-metre vault. Just five days later, she broke the British senior record by clearing 4.70 metres!
Breaking Records and Winning Medals
In January 2012, Holly set a new British indoor record. She cleared an amazing 4.87 metres in France. This jump placed her third on the world all-time list for indoor performances. At the same event, she even tried to break the world indoor record by attempting 5.01 metres, but she didn't quite make it.
On March 11, 2012, Holly won a bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
Olympic Dreams and European Gold
Holly competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She made it to the final, but she knocked the bar at 4.55 metres. This meant she was out of the running for a medal. She finished in the top 8, which was still a great achievement. After the event, she said she was disappointed but hoped to be at her best for the 2016 Olympics.
In 2013, Holly won a gold medal at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Gothenburg. She jumped 4.67 metres in a jump-off. She later said she could have shared the gold, but she wanted to be the clear winner.
World Championships and More Olympics
In 2015, Holly jumped 4.55 metres to join the British team for the World Championships. At the World Championships in Beijing, she cleared 4.70 metres. She finished 7th in the final.
Holly also competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. She jumped 4.60 metres to reach the final. In the final, she cleared 4.70 metres and finished fifth. She almost cleared 4.80 metres, but the bar fell at the last moment. After the Olympics, she won first place at the 2016 Diamond League in Zurich with a jump of 4.76 metres.
Continued Success and New Personal Bests
In 2017, Holly competed in many Diamond League events. She set a new personal best outdoors in Manchester, jumping 4.81 metres. She also competed in the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London. She finished 6th with a jump of 4.65 metres. She also won the national outdoor championships that year.
2018: A Year of Medals
Holly had a strong start to 2018. She won a competition in France with a jump of 4.60 metres. She then cleared 4.70 metres in Australia. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she finished fourth with 4.60 metres.
On July 14, 2018, she won the biggest outdoor title of her career at the first-ever Athletics World Cup in London. She improved her season's best to 4.75 metres. A few days later, she jumped 4.80 metres in Germany. On August 9, she won a bronze medal at the European Championships in Berlin, clearing 4.75 metres again.
2019 and Beyond
In early 2019, Holly won the indoor nationals with a jump of 4.80 metres. She then competed in the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. She reached the final and finished in fourth place.
In 2020, Holly became the British champion for the sixth year in a row, and eighth time overall. She won the pole vault event at the 2020 British Athletics Championships with a jump of 4.35 metres.
In 2021, at the British Championships, Holly set a new British record by clearing 4.90 metres. This record has since been surpassed by Molly Caudery. At the Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021, Holly won the bronze medal with a jump of 4.85 metres.
In 2022, during the qualifying competition for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Holly's pole snapped. This unfortunate incident forced her to withdraw from the competition.
Holly also participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. However, she did not advance past the qualification round for the pole vault.
International Competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain /  England |
|||||
| 2010 | World Junior Championships | Moncton, Canada | 3rd | 4.15 m | |
| 2011 | European Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 11th (q) | 4.45 m | |
| World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | – | NM | ||
| 2012 | World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 3rd | 4.70 m | |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 6th | 4.45 m | ||
| 2013 | European Indoor Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 1st | 4.67 m | |
| 2014 | World Indoor Championships | Sopot,Poland | 9th | 4.55 m | |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 7th | 4.70 m | |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 5th | 4.70 m | |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 6th | 4.65 m | |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 4th | 4.60 m | |
| Athletics World Cup | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 4.75 m | ||
| European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 3rd | 4.75 m | ||
| 2019 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 2nd | 4.75 m | |
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 4th | 4.80 m | ||
| 2021 | European Indoor Championships | Torun, Poland | = 3rd | 4.65 m | |
| Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | 4.85 m | ||
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 29th (q) | 4.35 m | |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | – | NM | |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 28th (q) | 4.20 m | ||
| (q) Indicates overall position in qualifying round | |||||
Personal Life
In 2014, Holly Bradshaw married her long-term boyfriend, Paul Bradshaw.
See also
In Spanish: Holly Bradshaw para niños
