Charlotte Payne breaks stadium record at UK Athletics Championships

Reading AC's Charlotte Payne won the hammer throw competition at the UK Athletics Championships with a throw that broke the Manchester stadium record and put her third on the UK all-time hammer list.

Payne's mammoth 70.59 metre throw was the first time the 20-year-old athlete has broken the 70 metre mark in competitive action.

The huge throw is also thought to have broken her own deaf world record, set at the Berkshire County Championships in May 2022.

UK Deaf Sport has submitted the throw to the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) for recognition of the new world record.

She finished well ahead of second placed Jessica Mayho, whose best throw was 65.73 metres, and bronze medalist Katie Head, who managed 65.58 metres.

Payne, who is profoundly deaf, had to overcome more than just her fellow competitors – the strong winds created feedback in her hearing aids that threatened to impact her balance.

"It was the best feeling ever," said Payne, who had led the competition throughout despite fouls in the third and fourth rounds.

"I came into today in the best possible shape but the fact that I managed to pull out a 70 metre throw in conditions like that is an amazing feeling."

The record throw was Payne's last of the competition.

She said: "My whole series was good, even though I was really nervous on my first throw.

"As soon as I did my first throw, I was just relieved.

"On my last throw, I was the last one to throw and I was in the lead so I knew I could just go for it."

Payne had been targetting this summer's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham but missed out to Anna Purchase, who was the sole hammer thrower to be picked for Team England.

Purchase's season's best is 70.63 metres but she was fifth on Sunday, almost seven metres behind Payne.

Payne said: "I think if I'd thrown what I did throw today then I may have had a chance, but I was so close.

"The standard of women's hammer throwing in the UK this year has been crazy.

"It was great to even be in contention for it, I'm 20 so I'm still the youngest.

"Next year we have our European Under-23 Champs, so I'll get to throw in my own age group then and hopefully produce something there."

Payne will doubtless be disappointed to miss out on the Commonwealths but she has an exciting future ahead of her – for now, all that's left to do is just keep throwing.