27 Facts About Holly Bradshaw

Holly Bethan Bradshaw is an English track and field athlete who specialises in the pole vault.

Holly Bradshaw used to be the British record holder in the event indoors and outdoors, with clearances of 4.87 metres and 4.90 metres.

Holly Bradshaw won bronze at the 2012 World Indoor Championships, gold at the 2013 European Indoor Championships, bronze at the 2018 European Championships, and silver at the 2019 European Indoor Championships.

Holly Bradshaw was involved in gymnastics from the age of six until she was 11, when she decided to try running.

Holly Bradshaw was educated at Parklands Languages High School, a co-educational state comprehensive school in the town of Chorley in Lancashire, in North West England.

Holly Bradshaw attended Runshaw College in Leyland from 2008 to 2010, where she completed her A-Levels.

Holly Bradshaw is studying for a degree in Sports Exercise and Science at Manchester Met University via distance learning to allow time for her training.

In June 2011, Holly Bradshaw set a new British U23 record with a 4.53m vault at the British Under-23 Championships in Bedford.

In January 2012, Holly Bradshaw improved the British indoor record by clearing 4.87m in Villeurbanne, during a Perche Elite Tour meeting.

Holly Bradshaw managed to reach the final, but knocked the bar at 4.55m, causing her to crash out of the running for a medal.

Holly Bradshaw later stated in an interview that she could have shared gold with Rogowska, but chose to jump off to be the lone winner of the gold.

In 2015, Holly Bradshaw vaulted 4.55 m to be selected in the British Team to the World Championships.

Holly Bradshaw competed in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, jumping 4.60m to advance to the final.

Holly Bradshaw almost cleared her last attempt at 4.80m but in the last moment the cross bar fell to the ground.

Holly Bradshaw participated in many of the 2017 Diamond League meetings, and reached the finals of the Diamond League in Brussels.

Holly Bradshaw set a new personal best outdoors in Manchester in the same year at 4.81m.

Holly Bradshaw participated in other notable events of pole vault around the world that year, which secured her a place in the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London in front of the home crowd, where she ended up 6th with a jump of 4.65m, and she lost the bronze medal only on count back.

Holly Bradshaw has been hoping to seek glory that was taken away from her in the 2012 Olympic games in the same stadium, and afterward said she would focus on the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham.

Holly Bradshaw started her 2018 indoor season in February, competing in the Perche Elite Tour meet in Rouen, France, where she won with a clearance of 4.60 metres before going on to clear 4.70m on 30 March at an outdoor competition in Australia.

Holly Bradshaw had a good start in the early 2019 by winning the indoor nationals with a jump of 4.80m in February.

Holly Bradshaw was selected for the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, reaching for the final with a single jump of 4.60m in qualifying.

Holly Bradshaw subsequently finished in fourth place in the final.

Holly Bradshaw became British champion for a sixth consecutive year and eighth time in total when winning the pole vault event at the 2020 British Athletics Championships with a jump of 4.35 metres.

At the British Championships, Holly Bradshaw cleared a new British record height of 4.90 m, her record has since been surpassed by Molly Caudery.

Holly Bradshaw participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics, but did not proceed past the qualification round of the pole vault.

Note: Holly Bradshaw had three failures at her opening height of 4.25m in the qualifying round at the 2011 World Championships.

Note: in 2021 Holly Bradshaw came joint third at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland with Iryna Zhuk of Belerus.