Holt faces race against time in Olympic bid

Holt threw dead on the hammer qualifying standard for the upcoming European Championships with a personal best of 68.50m at the England Closed Championships on June 2.

She is yet to hit the Olympic A standard of 71.50m or B mark of 69m though and, with Sophie Hitchon recording, the former the selection policy is such that a throw within the latter won’t be good enough for Holt.

A top-two finish at the Olympic trials next weekend would seal Hitchon’s place while if Holt also won at least silver and threw over 71.50m the 25-year-old would earn automatic selection as well.

However, with her qualification for the European Championships allowing her bid to go right up to the July 1 deadline should she not hit the standard at the trials, Holt is adamant there is more to come.

“It is great to have achieved the qualifying distance for the European Championships, and although I haven’t officially been selected, it will be my first senior event for Great Britain,” said Holt.

“I travelled to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games in 2010 but that was for England and the European Championships will be for Britain and have always been on the schedule and a target of mine.

“I always knew the personal best was coming; it was just a little bit frustrating that it has taken so long but I have backed off training now to get a little bit of freshness into my body.

“It has been frustrating not to throw further, I have been consistently around 66m but I am still hoping to throw further and I go into every competition looking to grab the opportunity with both hands.

“I need a personal best to hit the Olympic A standard but in training my distances are improving and it is just getting on and doing it now.”

Holt’s last two outings before the Olympic trials – a UK Women’s League meeting in Birmingham and the Bedford International Games – last weekend saw her fail to throw beyond 66m.

And, despite what is on offer back in Birmingham as of June 22, Holt insists she will be approaching it the same as the world trials 12 months ago where she took silver behind Hitchon.

“Last week was week one of backing off a little bit and hopefully it can lead to something. I know I have got to go to the trials and perform but to be fair it is just another competition,” she added.

“It is another trials and I am not getting excited about how good of a competition it is going to be. Maybe if I was going there to watch I would be but I am not, I have got a job to do.”

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