Amy Harris bounces back in Birmingham with a personal triumph
Jul 1 2010 Athletics by Brian Dick
The most welcome aspect of Amy Harris’s return to her home town on Sunday was not her presence at the Alexander Stadium, nor was it her place on the podium, it was the warm smile spread across her genial face.
The talented long jumper only arrived back in Birmingham a few days before last weekend’s Aviva European Trials and UK Championships, indeed the evening before she was due to compete the effects of jet lag almost had her snoring in her spaghetti bolognese.
But the Birchfield Harrier, back from her second year of an Applied Economics degree at Florida State University, showed no ill-effects as she produced a morale-boosting outdoor personal best of 6.39 metres to steal second spot behind Jade Johnson.
The fact that she did it in the last round to lift herself from lowly fifth made it sweet. The fact that it came after two summers of doubt and even depression sweeter still. It was her longest leap since February 2007 and her best since moving Stateside.
“It’s been a long time coming,” the Selly Oak resident said. “All up to 2007 was fine then 2008 was probably my worst year with all the injuries I had.
“I was depressed and my confidence was so low, it just felt like I needed a change.”
She responded by walking away from the sport in this country, coach Ted King and the demanding glare of UK Athletics, to develop as a person and an athlete in a more competitive – but less scrutinised environment.
And the 22-year-old has re-ignited her career both mentally and physically.
“I was a really good junior, everything was going well then I was chosen to go to a senior international and it was just too much.
“Where I am now is just me trying to get back and be patient with myself.
“I was really happy then but there were things that needed to be changed and I just wasn’t doing it. I jumped 6.39m at the European Indoors and came off crying, I was so hard on myself.
“It was a good jump but I really had high hopes because it was a big competition and I really, really wanted to make the final. I had to be a bit more realistic where I was.
“Right now is not where I should be but for me it’s comforting because I am back to where I was. I think from here on I am taking steps back in the right direction.”
