Bird Soars To New Heights

AFTER MAKING HUGE PROGRESS IN 2019, UK STEEPLECHASER LIZZIE BIRD FINDS HERSELF IN WITH A SHOT OF TOKYO 2020 SELECTION, WRITES DANIEL REES

- Daniel Rees

GIVEN that Lizzie Bird has occupied a place in the British top 10 annual rankings for seven years in a row, her ascent to the top of the UK lists this season should not come as much of a surprise.

In recent years the 3000m steeplechaser has managed to slip under the radar, but a standout 2019 has surely put an end to her status as one of the country’s lesser-known athletes. At the British Championships in August, the 25-year-old secured her place at the World Championships following a thrilling stand-off with Rosie Clarke, eventually succumbing to the defending champion. In Doha, though, it was Bird who had the last word, setting a UK-leading time of 9:30.13 to ensure that she set her fifth personal best in eight races.

Most impressive of all, her 9:30.13 clocking was 23 seconds faster than she ran prior to 2019. Now sitting third on the UK all-time list, it is safe to say that Bird is soaring to new heights.

“Doha was a completely new and, in some ways, bizarre experience,” she says. “In terms of performance, I was really happy. Although I could’ve made the final if I made a move sooner than I did. The one mistake I made during the race was giving Allie Ostrander too much respect – it took me a full lap to work up the courage to go past her and it cost me a spot in the final as I didn’t have enough time to make up the ground after that.”

Bird’s road to being the UK No.1 has certainly been an unorthodox one. Unlike her contemporaries she has not trained at Loughborough or St Mary’s – nor has she based herself at one of the major US colleges. When applying for university six years ago, Bird opted for Princeton in a bid to give herself an opportunity in another career in case athletics fell flat.