Isobel Pooley

Isobel Pooley (born 21 December 1992)[5] is a former British track and field athlete who specialises in the high jump. She won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Isobel Pooley
Pooley at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1992-12-21) 21 December 1992
London, England[1]
Alma materUniversity of Nottingham
Height192 cm (6 ft 3 ½ in)[2]
Sport
Country Great Britain
Event(s)High Jump
ClubAldershot, Farnham & District AC[3]
Coached byFayyaz Ahmed[4][3]
Medal record
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
2014 Glasgow High Jump

Career

Pooley's first high jump was in the gymnasium at Court Moor School.

As a teenager, Pooley competed at both the World Junior Championships and European Junior Championships, failing to reach the final. In 2012, she improved her best from 1.86m, first to 1.88 m indoors then to 1.90m, which she cleared at the Bedford Games in June. She competed at that years European Championships in Helsinki, where she was eliminated in the qualifying round with a best of 1.78m. In July 2013, she finished fourth in the final at the European Under 23 Championships in Tampere, clearing 1.90m. A month later, she improved her personal best to 1.91m.

In June 2014 Pooley won the UK Championships with 1.90m. In August she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with a new best of 1.92m. Three weeks later, she broke the UK outdoor record, when she improved her best by 4 cm to 1.96m in Eberstadt, Germany. The previous UK record of 1.95m had first been set by Diana Davies (then Elliott) in 1982. It was then equalled in 2001 by Susan Moncrieff and again in 2007 by Olympic Heptathlon Champion Jessica Ennis, before Pooley finally surpassed it. The record was one of the longest standing UK outdoor field event records, with only the women's discus record and the men 800m record which have both stood since 1981, being older.

In 2015 Pooley broke the UK outdoor record, and equalled the indoor record set by Katerina Johnson-Thompson earlier in the year, with 1.97m.[6]

She announced her retirement in September 2017, at the age of 24.

Pooley graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2014. In August 2016 she undertook the Macmillan "Brave the Shave" charity challenge by having her head shaved.

International competitions
YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
Representing  Great Britain /  England
2010 World Junior Championships Moncton, Canada 14th (q) 1.78 m
2011 European Junior Championships Tallinn, Estonia 13th (q) 1.80 m
2012 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 21st (q) 1.78 m
2013 European U23 Championships Tampere, Finland 4th 1.90 m[7]
2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow, United Kingdom 2nd 1.92 m[8]
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic 17th (q) 1.82 m
World Championships Beijing, China 19th (q) 1.89 m
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, Oregon 10th 1.89 m
European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 16th (q) 1.85 m

Note: Results with a q, indicate overall position in qualifying round.

National titles
  • English Schools Championships - 2009, 2010
  • England Under 20 Championships - 2010, 2011
  • England Under 23 Championships - 2013
  • UK Championships & trials - 2014, 2015

References
  1. "Glasgow 2014 - Isobel Pooley Profile". 2014 Commonwealth Games. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  2. http://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/high-jumper-isobel-pooley-dishes-about-rude-public-reaction-to-her-height/news-story/df8946efce73e4f73ada7dae64211cfe
  3. "Pooley breaks 1.90m barrier. A jump which has seen her overtake Jessica Ennis-Hall at the top of the UK rankings". getHAMPSHIRE. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  4. "Athlete Profile". Thepowerof10.info. 1992-12-21. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  5. "All Athletics profile". All Athletics.com. 18 August 2013.
  6. British record for Isobel Pooley
  7. "Isobel Pooley sets Commonwealth Games medal target". Nottingham Post. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  8. "Glasgow 2014: England's Isobel Pooley wins silver in high jump". 1 August 2014.
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