We talk to the British middle-distance international who has already enjoyed an eventful year
Eleanor Strevens didn’t plan to open her year by pacing a record-chasing 1500m race, let alone alongside one of her idols. But that’s exactly how things unfolded at the Keely Klassic, where a last-minute call-up saw her set the tempo for Georgia Hunter Bell, who came close to breaking the British indoor mark with a personal best of 4:00.63.
Before that unexpected turn at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena in February, the 18-year-old had already made her mark in cross country. She claimed the BUCS Short Course title and contributed to a British gold medal-winning under-20 team performance at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya, finishing sixth, just behind team-mates Innes FitzGerald and Jess Bailey.
Now just completing her first year at the University of Birmingham, Strevens most recently made her debut at the BUCS outdoor championships with a strong second-place finish in the 800m, running 2:06.59 behind Abigail Ives. Just a week later, she posted a 1500m personal best of 4:14.61 – making her the fastest under-20 in the UK over the distance this year, at the time of writing (Strevens had improved to 2:04.45/4:13.41 by mid June). With her confidence high and times improving, Strevens is now setting her sights on earning a spot on the Great Britain team for this summer’s European Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
How did you first get into the sport?
It actually first came around on sports day in primary school and someone approached my mother and he asked if I ran for a club. When we said no he recommended Eastbourne, which is my local club, so I got in contact with a coach there when I was nine years old and then it all spiralled from there. I loved it as a kid and I think I was lucky that I was gifted and had a natural ability to run.
How has your season been so far?
I’m really happy with how the year has gone. BUCS cross-country was probably one of my favourite races I’ve ever done. I’m obviously hoping that there’s more room to come but I think where we are now is a good start and hopefully it’s leading into the aims of what we want to achieve throughout the season.
What was the experience of pacing Georgia Hunter Bell like?
It was incredible. It was really last minute, we only got the call-up the day before because I think the original pacer dropped out and then I got…
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