No Payne, no gain as Charlotte throwing further than ever
Cold Ash hammer thrower Charlotte Payne has been selected in the Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad for the European Athletics Team Championships.
The unique event, which takes place in Poland next week, sees athletes compete for points that go towards a team total, rather than for individual medals.
And the 21-year-old, who won all three major British titles last year, says she can’t wait to test herself on the international stage.
“I’m so pleased,” she said.
“It’s such a brilliant opportunity to develop international experience while competing against some of the best in the world.
“Being selected for a senior international championship while I am still under-23 is a big honour, so I am excited to compete.”
Payne is profoundly deaf and holds the deaf world record for hammer throw and, while she faces additional challenges, has never let her impairment stop her from competing against hearing athletes, even describing it as her “USP”.
In 2022, she became just the third British woman ever to throw more than 70m and at a National Athletics League meeting in Windsor last weekend, bested the milestone four times, including a whopping effort of 72.51m.
That mammoth throw, one of three over 72m, meets the UKA World Championships B qualifying standard, which doesn’t guarantee her a place but puts her at the forefront of the selectors minds.
“The World Championships were a big stretch for me but I am working very hard to make it a reality,” Payne, who is now ranked in the world’s top 20, said.
“I broke my personal best four times and threw a two metre p.b. (in Windsor) so I’m definitely in the best form I have ever been in.
“I threw 72m three times in that competition which suggests there is more to come.
“It’s going to be an exciting few weeks.”
Payne is set to compete at the National Under-23 Championships this weekend, which act as a trial for the European Under-23 Championships in Finland next month, for which the West Berkshire thrower, who is ranked second in Europe at under-23, has already qualified.
