Hastings AC talent named as GB reserve

Elise Lovell has been named as a reserve to represent British Athletics in France later this month.
Elise Lovell has been named as a reserve to represent British Athletics at an international match in FranceElise Lovell has been named as a reserve to represent British Athletics at an international match in France
Elise Lovell has been named as a reserve to represent British Athletics at an international match in France

The Hastings Athletic Club talent received a phone call on Monday night informing her that she’s on stand-by for a senior international combined events match in Reims on January 30-31.

The senior women’s team is made up of Marilyn Nwawulor, Jo Rowland, England Indoor Combined Events senior champion Katie Stainton and Jessica Taylor, but the latter’s selection is subject to fitness and Lovell could step in if Taylor isn’t competition-ready in the next week or so.

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British Athletics will also be fielding a senior men’s team at the same event, where they will be up against France, Spain and Czech Republic.

The news has come as a surprise to Lovell, who considers herself much stronger at the outdoor heptathlon than the indoor pentathlon as the winter discipline doesn’t involve the 200m and javelin - two of her stronger events.

The 23-year-old will compete in the 60m hurdles at the Southern Championships this weekend and she has also achieved the qualifying standard in that event for the British Championships at the end of next month.

Lovell was a very commendable fifth at the England Indoor Combined Events Championships in Sheffield last weekend.

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She clocked a time of 8.73 in the 60m hurdles for 967 points, leaped 1.60m in the high jump for 736 points and threw 9.56m in the shot for 501 points. A 5.78m long jump earned Lovell 783 points before she ran the 800m in 2:25.07 for 756 points.

Lovell said: “It’s one place higher than last year and definitely better than expected. The hurdles PB was a bit of a shock and the long jump indoor PB was a bit of a shock as well. It’s a really good sign for the summer season.”

In 2016 the 23-year-old will be hoping to continue her excellent form of the 2015 outdoor season, which she described as the best of her career so far.

Lovell produced a personal best performance on her Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the European Cup Combined Events Super League last summer having previously won the senior women’s heptathlon at the England Athletics Combined Events Championships. She also won gold in the women’s long jump and silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the England Athletics Senior AAA Championships.

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After some hard winter training, Lovell has spent the last few weeks working on a few technical points.

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