Last month we were lucky enough to have our talented Steeplechase star, Ava James and her coach John Clements, come to the track to talk about her experience of representing Great Britain and England in the past year, her training and answer questions from athletes and their parents. For those that missed it, here is a summary.
Ava James and Coach John Clements: A Year of Success in Steeplechase and Representing England and Great Britain.
Ava, who specialises in the demanding 3,000m steeplechase, explained that the event consists of seven and a half laps of the track and 35 barriers, including a water jump on each of the laps.
A Strong Winter Season
Ava described a highly successful winter campaign. She competed in the British Cross Challenge in Liverpool and then represented England in Spain, where despite feeling unwell, she battled to finish ninth. Other highlights included third place at Parliament Hill in the UK cross challenge, third at the National championships, first at the Inter counties championships for Sussex and a runner-up at the English Schools Cross Country Championships.
Reflecting on the season, Ava said it gave her a strong platform for the track campaign ahead.
Training and Staying Injury-Free
John outlined the importance of strength and conditioning, particularly for young athletes who are still developing physically. Ava’s training includes gym-based strength work, cross-training on the elliptical machine, as well as running sessions designed to build endurance while reducing the risk of injury.
A typical training week includes cross-training on Mondays with some S&C, track sessions on Tuesdays, easy run on Wednesday, training at Preston Park on Thursdays, Friday is a rest day before races or training at Stanmer Park on Saturdays, and a long easy run on Sundays. Ava admitted that the long run is her least favourite session, but stressed the importance of commitment and consistency.
As John noted, one of Ava’s greatest strengths is her discipline. Even on days when motivation is low, she continues to put in the work needed to perform at the highest level.
Chasing a World Championship Dream
Going into the summer season, Ava set herself an ambitious target: achieving the qualifying standard of 10 minutes 15 seconds for the World Athletics Championships. Reaching that mark required an extraordinary improvement of around 40 seconds from her previous best, which equates to half a lap around the track.
The breakthrough came quickly. Having set a personal best of 10:53 the previous year, Ava ran under the World Championship qualifying time in her very first race of the season with 10:10 and then two weeks later took another 4 seconds off, which is only half a second outside the U20 British record. She went on to win both the English Championships and the English Schools title in the shorter 1,500m steeplechase.
Ava remained unbeaten in all her U20 steeplechase races , so she also stepped up to compete at the Senior British Championships, finishing fourth. Ava explained that competing at senior level taught her valuable lessons about racing tactically and positioning herself among other athletes, particularly in the steeplechase where racing alongside competitors over barriers is a key skill.
Representing Great Britain on the World Stage
One of the highlights of Ava’s year was being selected to represent Great Britain at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
She described the experience as “lovely” and spoke about the excellent support provided by the team. After successfully progressing through the heats, Ava reached the final and finished an impressive 13th in the world, a remarkable achievement at such a young age.
Recovery and Preparation
Ava emphasised the importance of recovery, explaining that it begins as soon as an athlete leaves the track. Her routine includes a cool-down, chocolate milk, eating and drinking to replenish energy stores, and ice baths.
She also reflected on her least sensible decision of the summer, wearing flip flops too much, which lead to a calf and Achilles tendon issues that nearly stopped her going to Oregon.
On race days, Ava focuses on resting, sleeping well and staying relaxed so that she arrives at the start line in the best possible condition.
Looking back
Ava reflected on how her running career began at the age of 12, when she simply joined in because she enjoyed it. She stressed that she was not an exceptional athlete straight away and developed gradually through hard work and persistence. Her move into steeplechase at around 16 years old came because the event looked fun and offered a new challenge.
Asked about her inspirations, Ava highlighted athletes such as Georgia Hunter Bell and said she enjoys seeing the different journeys athletes take to reach elite level.
In closing, Ava returned to a theme that ran throughout the discussion: preparation. Her motivation comes from knowing that when she stands on the start line, she can be confident that she has done everything possible to give herself the best chance of success. Combined with the discipline highlighted by John Clements, that mindset has helped take her from a young athlete who simply enjoyed running to a World Championship finalist representing Great Britain.
We wish Ava all the best for the future as she moves away to Birmingham for University and hope she will have another successful year next year!