On 4th July British Athletics announced the retirement of club member Andrew Pozzi.

Even in this announcement Andrew acknowledged the part this club had played in his illustrious career.

 

POZZI CALLS TIME ON ILLUSTRIOUS HURDLES CAREER

World Athletics Indoor gold medallist Andrew Pozzi has today confirmed he is retiring from Athletics following a 15-year career competing for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Stratford-upon-Avon athlete has today confirmed the decision after the diagnosis of a talus stress fracture earlier this week. Pozzi was due to be named as a member of the Paris 2024 track and field team for the Olympic Games but unfortunately has had to turn down the selection following the outcome of detailed scans and tests.

The highlight of Pozzi’s career will no doubt be that memorable moment on home soil when he won World Athletics Indoor Championship 60m hurdles gold in Birmingham back in 2018.

The West Midlands city proved to be a hotspot for Pozzi as he also won 110m hurdles bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which would be the last major medal of his long and illustrious career.

In 2017 he also won the European indoor 60m hurdles title in Belgrade and added the silver to his collection at the 2021 edition in Torun.

A club member of Stratford-upon-Avon since a junior, Pozzi first competed from GB & NI at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy in 2009, before winning silver at the 2011 European Junior Championships in the 110m hurdles.

A year later, he was called-up to the senior British team at a home Olympic Games in London.  He would compete at two more Olympic Games, finishing seventh at the 2020 Tokyo Games; his best result.

He said: “It has been an honour to compete for Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the last 15 years and pursue so many of the dreams that inspired me so deeply while growing up. At every stage of my journey from the beginning at Stratford-upon-Avon Athletics Club until the present day in Cardiff with Colin Jackson I have had the immense fortune to have been supported by fantastic people and institutions, for which I’ll forever be grateful.

“Athletics in Great Britain is underpinned by so many incredible people that do so much for others whilst asking for so little in return. I hope that some of my performances gave those people as much joy as their support gave me and I want to wish all of my team mates heading to Paris the very best of luck.”

Andrew Pozzi

Report – Paul Bearman

Andrew joined the club as a 10 year old after a recommendation from Mr Jones his teacher at St Gregorys; “you need to see this boy and see what you can do with him (his talent)”….and so my 22 year journey and counting with Andrew began.

I became embedded in the wonderful Pozzi family and a finer more supportive family I’m yet to meet. As one of 6 children Andrew has been bought up by Annette and Nick with nothing but unflinching support and his siblings have been his fan club from day one. 

Andrew was a multi-talented sportsman as a youngster but after several injuries from other sports but when he turned up aged 14 cut and grazed after an accident falling off his skateboard at the Skatepark that I said “you either pack the other sports up and take this a bit more seriously and stop wasting both our time or we stop”. From that point on Andrew worked his socks off to try to become the athlete we thought he could be and indeed he became.

He also made me drastically raise my game as a coach and I became a hurdles “specialist” and so he has helped SUAAC produce and inspire numerous national and international hurdlers over the years. 

I’ve got dozens of stories, memories and highlights of my unbreakable relationship with Andrew from the time the broke the UK U20 indoor record (7.67s) at the Midland Champs in 2010 and that made the UK athletics hierarchy sit up (Stratford were not considered a hotbed of athletics excellence then), competing in the World Youth champs and getting his GB vest in 2009, breaking the BUCS indoor and outdoor records in 2012, obviously his first and unexpected 2012 Olympics selection after winning the UK champs, winning the World Indoor Championship ….. etc etc.

Odd memory : When Andrew won the UK indoor title for the first time in 2012 in Sheffield his Dad and I sat with Andrew for 4 hours into the early evening waiting for him to pass a sample that could be tested……without going into detail he had drunk too much water and at 8pm the testers decided it wasn’t going to happen and we left for the traditional trip to McDonalds for his chicken nuggets. This started Andrews long association with WADA and drug testing that become an integral part of his life for 14 years. No more early morning rings on the doorbell now!!

I’m exceedingly proud of all of Andrew’s achievements that are listed on the Power of 10, the fact that he has been the outstanding UK hurdler for over a decade, a 3 time Olympian etc. However, for me it’s not only the fact that he has always worn his Stratford vest with pride but also the man he has become and the courage and resilience he has shown to overcome the injuries and setbacks that started way back in 2010 that very few of us have been aware of.

When Andrew called me last week, the night before he was announcing his retirement, we chatted as we’ve done over the years about things and I was fully in agreement that it was the right time for him both mentally and physically to hang up his spikes…..a sad day but the start of the new phase of his life.

Onwards and upwards.

Below are extracts form the UKA Futures Report in 2010 that as an athlete and coach we had to complete. I think it illustrates even from the early days the setbacks he faced on numerous occasions and the mindset to overcome them time and again.

Athlete Assessment : This Quarter has been very successful but also very frustrating missing the vast majority of training available due to injury although I still managed to get very good results. 

I made huge improvements in performance; I think due to the strong winter base I gained from September to November and the short period in January. 

I’ve been very busy trying to balance training with school work especially in January with exams which put a lot of pressure on me but I managed to achieve good results in my exams as well as running well in the champs. 

I think my progress was also prohibited to a small extent as I was working two week nights and the weekend every week in order to make money to run and pay for a car and other living expenses, so sometimes training was affected.

My aims and goals for this quarter is to get back on the track and recover fully from my current injury and to also have a good rehab programme to reduce the risk of the injury re-occurring, also, by the end of June I hope to have competed in the World Junior trials and compete strongly enough to gain selection. 

As I’m in my final year of A levels I also aim to revise well in order to gain the results I need to go to University which will take me to the next level of my athletics as well as my academic career. 

Primarily the goal is to make the World Junior Championships and then a specific time will factor in after.

Injury Status : Fully Injured until April 21st then rehab will commence on a Stress Fractured Left Navicular (foot).

Training status: 11 weeks of training missed (77 days) from Nov 27th- Jan 10th then Feb 27th. Also a few single days where I had to work

Coach’s assessment: In the first part of 2010 we concentrated on fitness and getting some speed/endurance work done after resting his foot injury for 5 weeks prior to the New Year. We decided against doing the Indoors to give more preparation time to concentrate on the outdoor. However, training went well (despite having his injury) and so after consulting Malcolm Arnold we decided (despite limited technical work) to go for the Midland and EA champs. 

Subsequently Andrew surprised me (but not himself) with his performances. Absolutely fantastic and very proud of him! 

Since then Andrew is back into his boot after a further scan revealed he has had a stress fracture of the Navicular in his left foot since November, which wasn’t picked up originally.

 On the Doctors instructions Andrew is on “active rest” until the end of April when hopefully, if the Doctor gives the all clear, we go into a structured rehab programme. 

The objective is to get Andrew fit, rehabilitated properly and prepare for the outdoor season with the goal of qualifying and getting to the world champs in July.

The Club Championships is the single most important competitive event in the Track & Field calendar for SUAAC because it is open to everyone in the whole club.

There is a huge amount of effort that goes into organising and running the Championships by our volunteers and our hope and expectation is that all our athletes will prioritise the event over other activities and enter and support the club.

Whilst the event is competitive, in some cases this is the first opportunity for an athlete, particularly the youngsters, to enjoy the thrill of competition and to pit themselves against their peers, however, it is more important to compete against the clock and the tape measure and to try to either set a personal best or improve an existing one and win points towards the age group championships.

This year we are again including a 5000m that will be a part of the Shakespeare series of races.

Midland Area 5000m Race Walk Championships 

Report – Paul Hawkins

Following its success over the last two years, Stratford once again hosted the Midland Area Race Walk 5000m Championships last Sunday.

Although the numbers racing were relatively low it proved to be another good day with four races – men’s and women’s 5000m and juniors 2000m and 3000

Regular Stratford walkers Paul Hawkins and Gemma Smith had to miss the event but Jan McLure is in good form in her first season racing and came 5th in 34.34.4 in only her second race at the distance.

Many thanks to all the volunteers and officials from Stratford who put on the event: Brian Gravelsons, Daphne Hawkins, Nick Campbell, Paul Bearman, Tilly Campbell and Paul Hawkins.