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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Canberra, ACT, AUS |
| Higher education | Psychology - University of Canberra: Australia |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | She took four months off after the 2012 Olympic Games in London to recover from a knee injury. (laurenboden.com, 18 Aug 2013; canberratimes.com.au, 12 Aug 2013) In 2008 she tore her left hamstring and missed six weeks of training. (thesportsvault.com.au, 07 Mar 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | She was always running around with her brother so her parents suggested she sign up for Little Athletics. She decided to focus on hurdles in 2002 after meeting coach Matt Beckenham. |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Coach Matt Beckenham. (athletesvoice.com.au, 13 Jun 2019) |
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (canberratimes.com.au, 27 Jun 2020) |
| Awards and honours | She was inducted into the Little Athletics Australia Roll of Excellence in 2018. (littleathletics.com, 29 Jun 2018) In 2014 she won the 'Flame' Athlete of the Year award at the Athletics Australia Awards. (mattybdept.com, 31 Oct 2014) She was named 2011 Athletics Australian Capital Territory [ACT] Athlete of the Year in Australia. (mattybdept.com, 07 Mar 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Matt Beckenham [personal], AUS, from 2002 |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She took up athletics at age five at the Corroboree Little Athletics Club in Canberra, ACT, Australia, and began pursuing the sport seriously at age 14. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | Australia |
| Tournament | Commonwealth Games |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Teacher |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Loz (Twitter profile, 31 Dec 2020; rio2016.olympics.com.au, 01 Apr 2016) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Surround yourself with supportive people who understand the sacrifices made to be an elite athlete and who can be there for you in both the good and bad times." (athletics.com.au, 05 Feb 2015) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Australian hurdler Jana Pittman. (athletics.com.au, 05 Feb 2015) |
International Debut | |
| Location | Melbourne, VIC, AUS |
General Interest | |
| Other information | LONG-TERM COACH She has been coached by Matt Beckenham since 2002 and says that she has never considered changing coach. "We've been so open and honest and we could always communicate. I think that's what kept us working together for so long. I never thought about leaving. There were some opportunities that popped up a few years ago [speaking in 2019] to go to college in America, but it was never a thought that crossed my mind because we've got such great facilities here in Canberra [Australia]. From the personal side, from the outset, he encouraged me to pursue a uni degree and encouraged me to finish it even when I didn't really enjoy it. You can't rely on athletics to be an income forever. To have that encouragement and support was important because it helped me keep a very balanced life. He takes the time to get to know his athletes, individually. He doesn't lump us all together and treat us like we're all the same. He's taken me from a 14-year-old girl to a 30-year-old woman. There's obviously a lot of changes that go on in that time." (athletesvoice.com.au, 13 Jun 2019) OCCUPATION She has worked full-time as a primary school teacher in Australia since 2018. She reduced her training significantly to accommodate her work. "I never really considered retiring [from athletics], I just wanted to refocus and reprioritise and put everything into teaching and maintain some level of training. Obviously, it's not just a nine to five job, so I wanted to make sure I was giving it my all. And I knew that would mean my athletics would take a back seat. Training has been less but it's been going really well [speaking in early 2019] and actually a load off the mind, I've found a nice balance." (Twitter profile, 31 Dec 2020; theage.com, 28 Jan 2019; athletesvoice.com.au, 13 Jun 2019) FURTHER EDUCATION After completing a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Canberra in Australia, she began studying for a degree in primary school teaching at the same institution in 2016. (rio2016.olympics.com.au, 01 Apr 2016; allmysportsnews.com, 04 Mar 2019) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Other names | Lauren Wells |