Jade Lally

Born in Tooting, Greater London, Lally began athletics as a high jumper.[3] This began her interest in the sport and led to her joining her first club, Hercules Wimbledon AC, where she took up discus throwing.[4] At the English Schools' Athletics Championships, she finished sixth in 2004,[5] and seventh in 2005,[6] before going on to win the 2006 AAA Junior Championships title, with a distance of 46.60.[7]

Lally won a bronze medal at the 2009 European U23 Championships in the discus throw, with a throw of 54.44 metres.[8][9] She won the 2010 British Championships.[10] went on to represent England at that years Commonwealth Games, where she finished sixth in the discus throw.[11] In 2011, she won both the British and English Championships.[12][13]

Lally retained her English in 2012,[14] and went on to compete at that years European Championships, being knocked out in the discus throw competition in qualifying after her second-worst performance of the year, finishing 22nd.[15] This was her first senior British international competition. She was overlooked for selection to go to what would have been a home Olympics despite achieving two B standard qualifying marks and finishing in the top two at the British Championships.[16][17]

At the European Team Championships, Lally finished sixth in 2013,[18] and eighth in 2014.[19] before going on to win a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in the discus throw, with a throw of 60.48 metres.[20][21][22]

After winning her fourth British and English Championship titles in 2015,[23][24] Lally broke the English discus record with a throw of 64.22 metres at the Auckland Track Challenge on 25 February 2016,[25][26] then improved it to 65.10 metres at the New South Wales Championships on 27 February 2016.[27][28] This performance ranks her second on the British all-time list behind Scotland's Meg Ritchie. She also holds the British indoor discus throw record holder, with a mark of 58.97 metres from the World Indoor Throws in Vaxjo, Sweden in 2013.[20] and holds two club records in Under 23 and Senior discus at Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.[29]

Lally is expecting her first child, due in August 2019. In April 2019 she spoke about her pregnancy as an athlete.[30]

• Jade Lally at Power of 10