GSF Athlete Jess Bailey was competing at the Under-20 Athletics World Championships in Lima, Peru last week. Combining her training whilst doing her A-Levels, Jess set a new personal best to come eighth in the world!
Competing in the 3000m race for Team GB, she managed to successfully navigate the heats to make it into the final, which took place on Friday, August 30.
"I have had a brilliant time in Lima over past week and have enjoyed every second of it. After a hard summer balancing A-Levels and training it feels amazing to have made it through that and be reaping the rewards of a hard year.
The race itself was so much fun, I enjoyed challenging myself against the best U20s in the world and competing to the best of my ability. To come away with a PB was even better - it really was the icing on the cake. Representing GB at these champs has been a brilliant learning experience and I am hoping I can take away what I have learnt to become a stronger, better athlete. This race has only made me want to be a professional athlete more and strive to compete at more major championships!
Experiences like these are invaluable and it would not have been possible without the help and support of various people and organisations such as GLL. GLL has allowed me to access many facilities as often as I needed, which for me was mostly our local gym and the swimming pool. Without this support it would have been too expensive for me to use these facilities, as often as I needed to. Being able to train in the best way for me and having the ability to train with Better Leisure at a wide range of times has been fundamental to my success this year, especially during exams when time was hard to find.
I am super grateful to have had this support. "
