Former British record holder Kate Dennison retiring
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 10:59 am
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Athletics: Pole vault star Dennison retires
Thursday, October 11, 2012The SentinelFollow
KATE Dennison admits she could not face another four years chasing the fairytale after retiring from pole vault yesterday.
Dennison became the first ever female track and field athlete from South Cheshire and North Staffordshire to perform at two Olympics when she strode out at London in August.
However, the 28-year-old, from Alsager, struggled in swirling wind and rain, breaking her wrist as she landed heavily following a failed attempt at 4.40m.
"I would have loved to have won a medal, but I ended up asking people to sign my cast," she said.
"I kept my options open about my future after then, but at the back of my mind I thought this might be the right time to have a change.
"I felt in the shape of my life this summer and in the perfect world I could have had a fairytale ending. It didn't work out like that and I wasn't willing to carry on for another four years searching for that.
"Athletics is all I've known throughout my adult life. It's been my world through university and beyond and now it's time to move on.
"More opportunities are opening up for me. It's not something I'm happy to say goodbye to, but I am looking forward to my future."
Dennison, who is to become a physical trainer and sports masseuse, switched from gymnastics to pole vault at the age of 16 and was UK number one as a 21-year-old.
She held on to that title for five years, only being succeeded by world record chaser Holly Bleasdale in 2011.
In the meantime, highlights included coming seventh at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and taking home a bronze medal from the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
She said: "It's been fun from the start. Coming seventh at the World Junior Championships in Jamaica in 2002 with a new British junior record (4.00m) was amazing.
"The 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne was when I realised I could be a professional athlete and to be involved in European and World Championships has been incredible.
"Beijing was a dream come true and then 2009 was fantastic when I broke the British record (4.60m)."
But nothing could have prepared her for a home Olympics however, injury or not.
She explained: "London and Beijing could hardly have been more different.
"The whole two weeks was unbelievable and I will never forget the feeling from being in front of a full home crowd like that which sent a tingle down my spine.
"Then my cast meant I met more people around the village who wanted to know what had happened."
Dennison bows out with a personal best 4.61m she achieved in Barcelona in July 2011 only ever being bettered once by a British woman, Bleasdale (4.87m).
She said: "Holly will probably be disappointed herself she didn't get a medal at London but you learn from the lows as well as the highs.
"She's already jumped massive heights and is going to be a big star."
And Dennison hoped to see her old City of Stoke gymastics and athletics clubs buddy Steve Lewis will continue to shine among the world's best pole vaulters after he came fifth at London.
She said: "Steve has always had the physique and the technique and now something seems to have clicked mentally too, he has had a phenomenal year.
"He and Holly are training together under Dan Pfaff and hopefully they can inspire each other to even better things over the next few years. I will be a very interested observer."
Athletics: Pole vault star Dennison retires
Thursday, October 11, 2012The SentinelFollow
KATE Dennison admits she could not face another four years chasing the fairytale after retiring from pole vault yesterday.
Dennison became the first ever female track and field athlete from South Cheshire and North Staffordshire to perform at two Olympics when she strode out at London in August.
However, the 28-year-old, from Alsager, struggled in swirling wind and rain, breaking her wrist as she landed heavily following a failed attempt at 4.40m.
"I would have loved to have won a medal, but I ended up asking people to sign my cast," she said.
"I kept my options open about my future after then, but at the back of my mind I thought this might be the right time to have a change.
"I felt in the shape of my life this summer and in the perfect world I could have had a fairytale ending. It didn't work out like that and I wasn't willing to carry on for another four years searching for that.
"Athletics is all I've known throughout my adult life. It's been my world through university and beyond and now it's time to move on.
"More opportunities are opening up for me. It's not something I'm happy to say goodbye to, but I am looking forward to my future."
Dennison, who is to become a physical trainer and sports masseuse, switched from gymnastics to pole vault at the age of 16 and was UK number one as a 21-year-old.
She held on to that title for five years, only being succeeded by world record chaser Holly Bleasdale in 2011.
In the meantime, highlights included coming seventh at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and taking home a bronze medal from the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
She said: "It's been fun from the start. Coming seventh at the World Junior Championships in Jamaica in 2002 with a new British junior record (4.00m) was amazing.
"The 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne was when I realised I could be a professional athlete and to be involved in European and World Championships has been incredible.
"Beijing was a dream come true and then 2009 was fantastic when I broke the British record (4.60m)."
But nothing could have prepared her for a home Olympics however, injury or not.
She explained: "London and Beijing could hardly have been more different.
"The whole two weeks was unbelievable and I will never forget the feeling from being in front of a full home crowd like that which sent a tingle down my spine.
"Then my cast meant I met more people around the village who wanted to know what had happened."
Dennison bows out with a personal best 4.61m she achieved in Barcelona in July 2011 only ever being bettered once by a British woman, Bleasdale (4.87m).
She said: "Holly will probably be disappointed herself she didn't get a medal at London but you learn from the lows as well as the highs.
"She's already jumped massive heights and is going to be a big star."
And Dennison hoped to see her old City of Stoke gymastics and athletics clubs buddy Steve Lewis will continue to shine among the world's best pole vaulters after he came fifth at London.
She said: "Steve has always had the physique and the technique and now something seems to have clicked mentally too, he has had a phenomenal year.
"He and Holly are training together under Dan Pfaff and hopefully they can inspire each other to even better things over the next few years. I will be a very interested observer."