|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Ipswich, QLD, AUS |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers: London, ENG |
General Interest | |
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 2024 Games in Paris, and to win an Olympic gold medal. (bbc.co.uk, 03 Apr 2019; wscountytimes.co.uk, 24 Nov 2020; musclefood.com, 04 Aug 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Zane Duquemin [personal], GBR |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Personal Trainer |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | She originally competed in the high jump but switched to throwing not long after starting the sport. "My best friend introduced me to discus and described them [discuses] as 'plates'. I had a go in a small group, beat everyone, and never looked back." |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She took up athletics at age 14. |
General Interest | |
| Other information | MOTHERHOOD She admitted to being concerned about the future of her athletics career after she became pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter Nyla in July 2019. "When you are going to start a family is a hot topic. You're aware of your biological clock, and you're aware that friends are on baby number two or three and you're still there trying to make your little PE [physical education] lesson a dream and a career. I always pictured myself as a mum at some point. I didn't actually like the thought of being pregnant, but that was something I was going to have to deal with. I don't want my child to feel that she is coming second to anything, I will have to learn to juggle putting her needs alongside mine as an athlete. Hopefully she will know we are being selfish for good reasons, we're doing this for our careers while also being the best parents we can possibly be." (bbc.co.uk, 03 Apr 2019; jadelally.com, 01 Sep 2020; Instagram profile, 27 Jul 2019) LONDON DISAPPOINTMENT Speaking in 2018, she said she remained frustrated that she was not selected to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London despite meeting the qualifying standard. "To this day, I do not understand why I wouldn't be selected for a home Olympics - not out of pity or as a token competitor - but as someone who had qualified for their event. They chose to have nobody representing the country in the event [women's discus] instead. I don't know whether they thought I didn't have a future in the sport. Who were they to decide that, especially after I'd qualified for an Olympic-level event? I remember sitting there watching it and someone behind me said, 'We haven't got anyone in that event', and I couldn't sit there and not have that, so I said, 'Just so you know, I qualified for that event but unfortunately I wasn't selected'." (sportsgazette.co.uk, 24 Mar 2018) OCCUPATION She has worked as a personal trainer and massage therapist since 2008. She qualified as a strength and conditioning coach in 2016 and as an athletics coach in 2019. She has also worked as a general practitioner [GP] referral exercise co-ordinator in England. (jadelally.com, 01 Jan 2016, 01 Sep 2020; wscountytimes.co.uk, 24 Nov 2020) MOVE OVERSEAS In September 2020 she moved to Ipswich, QLD, Australia, with her partner and daughter. Her partner, Brenton, is in the Australian Army and was posted there. (jadelally.com, 01 Sep 2020; Twitter profile, 01 Sep 2020) |
| Hero / Idol | British triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, English darts player Phil Taylor. (musclefood.com, 04 Aug 2016; englandathletics.org, 09 Dec 2014) |
| Awards and honours | She was the flag bearer for Great Britain at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (britishathletics.org.uk, 01 Jul 2016) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "It is not a case that you fall at the first hurdle and that is the end of it. You carry on going, keep your head down and get on with the job." (bbc.co.uk, 19 Jun 2014) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Other names | Jade Nicholls |
| Higher education | Physical Education, Sports Science - St Mary's University, Twickenham: London, ENG |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | In early 2017 she suffered a back injury that affected her for more than a year, although she continued to train and compete through the injury. She underwent treatment, including three different pain-numbing procedures, which helped the symptoms but not the cause of the issue. In the lead-up to the 2017 World Championships in London, England, she struggled with her back and a pelvic injury, which affected her preparation for the tournament. (sportsgazette.co.uk, 24 Mar 2018; wscountytimes.co.uk, 18 Aug 2017) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Partner Brenton, daughter Nyla [2019] |