As London 2012 fast approaches, athletes both here and abroad including the local community have been given the opportunity to utilise the facilities on the Olympic Park whilst staff and volunteers ensure everything is in place for a successful, safe Olympic and Paralympic Games. May 8th gave Natalie Gower, T35 Cerebral Palsy Talent ID Squad athlete the opportunity to make her mark on the track and put her training to the test on what will be the world stage.!

Natalie began in the sport of athletics whilst at Secondary School in the London Borough of Havering and was the second student with a disability to successful complete a GCSE in Physical Education. Through the support of her PE teachers, friends and family she progressed on to club athletics outside of her home Borough training for Shot Putt, 100m and 200m and was identified as an athlete the National Governing Body wished to support. Unfortunately injuries and difficulties in training beyond her control later meant that performances decreased and funding was withdrawn. Determined to make it in the sport, Natalie sought the help of Run! Activator Nicole Evans and Personal Trainer Andrew Hale (also LiRF instructor at Queen Mary University) who assessed her functional mobility and clarified her aims and future ambitions before putting together a periodization programme and diet plan. Natalie hasn’t looked back since!!

Over the last 14 months an excellent working relationship has developed and great personal and sport specific gains have been noticed and performances are back on track putting Natalie in the spotlight and receiving support from the Talent ID team at UKA. Run! activator Nicole Evans has supported Natalie during attendance at the athlete training camps ensuring that everything can be done to ensure the talent of this star is not lost in the system. Natalie now trains at Mile End Stadium on a weekly basis and also uses gym facilities and said “Before meeting with Nicole I had difficulty finding anywhere to train seriously but now I can get a regular track session in every week and I think this has dramatically enhanced my performance this year.” Andrew himself is yet to obtain his coaching licence and is currently attending UKA accredited courses through the Run! project in order to ensure he can continue to support his athlete in the best possible way.!

This season already has been a demonstration of both Natalie and Andrews’s commitment to the sport and elite completion. Her current personal bests register at 21.93 for 100m and 45.46 for 200m. The decision has been made to focus on track events rather than field. Run! project activator Nicole Evans added “I have watched Natalie develop into a well-rounded mature athlete who with the help of Andrew has regained focus and passion for the sport. The acknowledgement by UKA also led to her call up to compete at the stadium which was a great learning experience for all concerned. I am excited to see what the future holds for her and will also continue to support Andrew along the coaching pathway”.!

The Run! Project would like to congratulate both Natalie and Andrew on their success and continued efforts and are pleased to be able to bring together two individuals who share the same desires to achieve great things. Well done

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