Amy Holder

Even on my days off I can't just sit down; I must do something. 

I started gymnastics around the age of 10. But I didn't get good at it or focused on athletics properly until I was 17 and studying my undergrad. That's when I put all my efforts into it. 

A lot of what I do, and my choices are based around my sport. After my studies, athletics is my main priority and everything else comes after.

My regime is quite strict. I train 6 times a week, I get Saturdays completely off, and I see my coach 3 times a week where I do my actual throwing and specific drills associated with my event. Alongside some sort of generic cardio, I also do four gym sessions a week, so it does get quite busy. I try to fit in yoga too, I have the time. 

Growing up I had the encouragement of my parents who encouraged me towards going into athletics. Even when my friends were dropping out in secondary school, my parents made it very clear: that wasn't an option for me. My aim is to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics which is when I'll be the perfect age to contest. Hopefully I will make the commonwealth games in Birmingham which is my current big goal.

My long-term goals for my current Masters programme are to go into events; solely sports events like the IAAF (The International Athletics Association Federation) who lead the big athletic competitions. Anything surrounding events management is what I would love to go in to. For now, I just want to focus on athletics and finish whatever I can in that then go into an actual 'job job'.

Amy Holder is a Master's student at University of East London and was interviewed by Simchè Williams.