Quick Facts
Biography
Sophie Hitchon (born 11 July 1991) is a British hammer thrower. She is a former World Junior Champion, and the current senior British record-holder with a throw of 74.54 metres in the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning the bronze medal for her country's first ever Olympic medal in the event.
Representing Great Britain at London 2012, Hitchon has also represented England in the hammer throw at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, winning gold.
Early life
Hitchon was born in Burnley, Lancashire, and attended Wellfield Church Primary School and Ivy Bank Business and Enterprise College. She is studying for a BSc in Business and Sport Management from the University of Hertfordshire.
Achievements
In April 2007, Hitchon set a new UK Under 17 Women's record with a throw of 49.61m at the Kingston-upon-Hull AC Open meeting. The previous record was 48.94m achieved by Frances Miller of Elgin Harriers at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.
In March 2008, at the age of 16, Hitchon set a new junior record with a throw of 59.74m at the UK Throws event in Birmingham, followed by a 59.49m throw at the Blackpool Open Meeting the same weekend.
In July 2009, Hitchon won bronze in the hammer at the European Junior Championships. In doing so she also improved her own national junior record to 63.18m and took Britain's first ever European Junior medal in the women's hammer.
A year later, Hitchon was captain of the UK women's team at the IAAF World Junior Championships (Moncton, Canada, 19–25 July), as well as remaining the UK junior hammer record holder.
In July 2011, Hitchon represented the UK in the European Under-23 Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic (14–17 July), taking the bronze medal.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Hitchon achieved a bronze medal in the women's Hammer throw with a distance of 68.72m. This was her first success at a senior level championship.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Hitchon achieved a bronze medal in the woman's Hammer throw with a distance of 74.54 metres on her final attempt, setting a new GB record in the process. It also made her the first British hammer thrower to win an Olympic medal and ended a 28-year Olympic medal drought for GB in women's field events since Fatima Whitbread's silver at Seoul in 1988.
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain | |||||
| 2007 | World Youth Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 9th q | 50.28 m | |
| 2008 | World Junior Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 7th | 58.45 m | |
| 2009 | European Junior Championships | Novi Sad, Serbia | 3rd | 63.18 m | |
| 2010 | World Junior Championships | Moncton, Canada | 1st | 66.01 m | |
| 2011 | European U23 Championships | Ostrava, Czech Republic | 3rd | 69.59 m | |
| World Athletics Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 13th q | 64.93 m | ||
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, England | 12th | 69.33 m | in qualifying: 71.98m - New British Record |
| 2013 | European Team Championships | Gateshead, England | 3rd | 72.97 m New British Record | |
| European U23 Championships | Tampere, Finland | 1st | 70.72 m | ||
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 4th | 73.86 m New British Record | |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 3rd | 74.54 m New British Record | |
Representing  England | |||||
| 2008 | Commonwealth Youth Games | Pune, India | 1st | 58.43 m | |
| 2014 | Commonwealth Games | Glasgow, Scotland | 3rd | 68.72 m | |
- q = in qualifying