Lucy Woodward isn’t just an athlete, but a heptathlete! So, when we went on the hunt for a ‘gifted’ sportsperson to feature for our December edition, it was kind of a no-brainer.
Tell us Lucy, how and when did you first get into heptathlon?
I took up athletics when I was 9 years old and had a good group of friends that I trained with. One of their mums happened to be an ex-heptathlete and she introduced us to multiple events – I think that’s what stopped me from specialising in just one event early on. Since then, I’ve loved athletics and multi-events. I was competing in the UK doing quadrathlons and pentathlons from a young age, then progressed to heptathlon at 15.
So, why heptathlon? Why not just one sport?
I had been training in a range of events from a young age, so over the years became fairly evenly spread and enjoyed every single one of them! I’ve thought of just specialising in long jump in the past, but I enjoy training and competing in all of the other events so much that I couldn’t imagine not doing them!
What would you say has been your proudest moment in the sport so far?
This year has been my biggest in sport, thanks to the work I’ve been doing with the Jersey Sports Foundation and all my coaches at Spartans. My proudest moment this season was winning the south-west regional heptathlon earlier this year. It was my first proper heptathlon and I was hoping to come top 4 to qualify for English schools. I didn’t for a second think I would place first, so the experience really helped boost my confidence.
What are your hopes for the future?
I’m going to continue to work hard at the track and in the gym over the next few years, hopefully working towards the commonwealth games in Birmingham in 2022. I’m also looking to continue my athletics at university, whether that be in America, Bath or Loughborough. It would be an honour to represent Jersey for heptathlon in Birmingham, so I’m hoping that with the help of my coaches and the Jersey Sports Foundation I can get there.
