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AFD high jump star Pooley ready for bigger stage

By Jon Couch
November 22, 2012

ALDERSHOT high jumper Isobel Pooley is set for a breakthrough year next season – according to Olympic bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz, a man who knows a thing or two about bursting onto the scene.

In the space of a few short months this year, Grabarz has gone from a relative unknown to medal-winning Olympian, European champion and Diamond League champion.

Both he and 19-year-old Pooley share the same coach, Fayyaz Ahmed, making Grabarz better placed than most to cast judgement on the Aldershot, Farnham & District club youngster.

Pooley’s personal best this year of 1.90m was only two centimetres shy of the Olympic A standard, but having only been working with Ahmed for less than a year Grabarz insisted it would not be long before she is challenging for medals on the global stage.

“Isobel is my training partner and she is some talent,” said Grabarz, who was speaking at the Aviva School Sport Matters Awards at Lord’s.

“She’s still very young and yet she was really close to qualifying for the Olympics, which is seriously impressive.

“I really do think that next year and if not that then the one after is going to be a real breakthrough year for her.

“If you look at my career path I was barely making any major championships, before 2012 I had only been to the European indoors, and then I found my form and really started to make an impression at the top of the sport.

“And I can see Isobel doing that very soon because she works so hard and with the coaching she is getting she will only get better and better.

“She has not been with Fayyaz for all that long so the benefits will start to show through now and I'm excited for her to show what she can do.”

The Aviva and Daily Telegraph School Sport Matters Awards recognise outstanding achievements in school sport across the country, and are part of Aviva’s wider commitment to support the next generation of British sporting talent. For more information go to www.aviva.co.uk/rugby-sponsorship.

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