Archive News Item

A promising athlete from Welshpool High School will carry the Olympic Flame through her home town when the Torch Relay arrives in Powys next month.

Adele Nicoll was selected from amongst thousands of entries to be a Torchbearer thanks her superb success in events such as the shot put and discus which has seen her compete at an international level.

The 15 year old recently became the fourth best shot putter in the world for athletes born in 1996 during a competition in Sweden, recording a throw of 15.05 metres, and her dedication towards sport will now see her run with the Flame in front of a home crowd on 30 May.

She said: “I got an email through from the London 2012 committee saying that someone had nominated me and had decided to put me down for selection. I thought it was an amazing opportunity because there had been thousands of people who had been nominated. It’s a real honour.

“I’m quite nervous about running in front of all my school friends but it’ll be good fun to have the support of them behind me. The school have always helped me organise my sport and also check how I’m getting on with my schoolwork so I have a good balance of both.”

Having previously tested herself over a range of different athletics events, a few years ago Adele’s talent in the throwing disciplines led her to pursue these closer, and she’s never looked back, winning the 2010 Montgomeryshire Junior Sports Personality of the Year. She’s a driven character who juggles five training sessions a week alongside school, but the success she’s achieved proves that the commitment is paying off.

“Everything is going well at the moment. I changed groups in the winter season of 2011 and since then I’ve really developed physically and technically, and my throw in Sweden was probably my biggest achievement to date. I train about five times a week and then compete at the weekends all over Great Britain.

“My hero when I was younger and used to run was Kelly Holmes because of her two gold medals but since I starting throwing I had a shot put masterclass with Valerie Adams, the reigning world and Olympic champion from New Zealand, so she’s my inspiration at the moment.”

Hopes are high for Adele’s athletic future and there is a chance that she could one day fulfil her dream of becoming an Olympian herself, however her mind is focused purely on the short term.

“Next year is the World Youths Championships in Ukraine and I’ll be eligible for that so hopefully I’ll be selected, but the Commonwealth Games are in 2014 and I’m currently ranked number one in Wales, so my coach may put forward my name to the committee.

“As for the Olympics, maybe I could make the 2016 Games in Brazil but it would probably be more like 2020, I’ll just have to see how I progress.”

The Olympic Torch Relay will go through Machynlleth on the 28 May, and Llanymynech and Welshpool on 30 May. More information can be found at www.powys.gov.uk/olympics.