The University of Birmingham’s high jumping superstar, Laura Zialor, has been going from strength to strength and has been selected for the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.
She has established herself as one of the best UK talents, meaning that it was no surprise that she was picked for the English Commonwealth Games team.
Since her selection, she has also earned her first GB vest by qualifying for the World Championships in Oregon later this summer – a testament to her great season thus far.
Laura Zialor’s season so far
Laura Zialor’s season kicked off with a bang, winning both the Loughborough indoor open and the Meeting National à thème en salle d’Hirson in France. This fantastic indoor campaign was capped off by a personal best 1.91m clearance at the Müller Indoor Grand Prix, as well as a gold medal in the indoor UK athletics championships.
Outdoors, Laura has had a pretty mixed bag of results, but with the majority being strong results. The highlight of her outdoor season so far was matching her personal best in Nairobi, Kenya, winning a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold competition in the process. The Gold tariff events are always star-studded, meaning her victory in this event cemented the fact that she is one of the strongest athletes in the world, not just in the UK.
She was also completely dominant at the BUCS championships in Chelmsford. Cruising through the qualifying round, and eventually winning the gold medal in the high jump, the athlete never seemed like she would be beaten. Even more impressive was the fact that she broke the championship record with a 1.86m clearance.
Her outdoor UK Athletics Championships were less successful, however. Her lowest clearance of the season so far was only enough for fourth place.
Of course, it is natural for athletes to have off days, and it seems that this result was just that. This should not overshadow the huge successes Laura has already enjoyed, and also should not act as an indicator for her season to come.
Laura Zialor’s Chances at both Games
Currently ranked 24th in the world, Laura has already proved herself as one of the big hitters on the international stage. Sitting a few places behind GB compatriots Morgan Lake and Emily Borthwick, she is not the favourite but is very much in the conversation for medal contention.
The fact that she has been picked for the GB side to go to Oregon illustrates the faith that UK Athletics have in her performances. In an event as fickle and technical as the high jump, just being a potential contender is enough to put her in the medal conversation.
Can Laura jump even higher and pull off a result against a more experienced international field? I would not put it past her at all.