FORMER Bristol & West AC athlete Lily Owsley is on the verge of winning a gold medal tonight.
But it is not track and f
ield in which Lily (pictured far left with Keith Brackstone and former clubmate and friend Olivia Sadler in 2010) is on the cusp of glory but the sport of hockey as she is a forward with the Great Britain team which takes on the Netherlands at 9pm this evening.
Local athletics fans with good memories will recall that just four years ago Lily finished runner-up in the senior girls 800m at the English Schools’ Championships in Gateshead.
Dave Taylor was her coach then and I remember him saying that it was always a battle to get her to commit to running as she was already a top quality hockey player and also footballer, having played for Bristol City’s junior squad.
While clearly a good runner she has since developed into a world class hockey player – you cannot argue she choose the right sport for her – and it is great to see her progress and all Bristol athletics fans should be cheering for her tonight.