When Hannah Blood was persuaded to give hammer throw a try as a young athlete, she never imagined it would take her on an exhilarating journey, moving over 4,500 miles away from home.

A sports fanatic, Hannah spent her childhood exploring every physical activity that she could get her hands on. From netball to rounders, she secured her rightful place on every school team.

When news spread of track team try outs at Glossopdale School, Hannah was one of the first to eagerly find her role on the squad. Initially pencilled down as the triple jumper, it wasn’t until the throwing events began that Hannah found her calling.

Impressing her school with her discus ability, a PE teacher told Hannah to join Sale Harriers, a club where she could receive expert coaching and take part in competitions.

Before long she was enrolled. Here, the club noticed a lack of hammer throwers and asked Hannah to give it a go.

At first, she was adamant on disagreeing, but after being talked into it she quickly found her forever sport.

From this moment, Hannah was dedicated to develop her skills and train hard. Meeting with the coach at Blackburn Harriers, she was amazed by the talent of their athletes and began to take tips from the team.

“I owe everything to the coach at Blackburn. He was the first person that taught me about good technique and put me on the path to success.

“I’ve always done this sport for one reason and that is because I love it. The day I stop loving it is the day I stop throwing,” Hannah said.

Climbing up the ranks and reaching great distances, Hannah posted her sporting success on her Instagram profile, where she started to build a network of athletes and coaches. From this, she was approached by a coach in America, asking if she had ever considered moving to the States.

“I was very young and really unsure if I wanted to commit to throwing at that point. I knew I would have to move on my own and I didn’t think I was ready.

“But he offered to pay for our visit, so we went along and had a look at the school.”

Hannah was bewildered. The facilities, coaches and athletes were unbelievable. Blown away by what she had seen, she knew that moving to the US was her dream.

Reaching out to some coaches, Hannah received an offer from University of Louisiana Monroe. Before she knew it, she was travelling across the globe to take up her dream.

Freshly 18, she felt nervous and afraid to dive out of her comfort zone. But before long she had made a family with her new team and classmates.

“Sport is a different world in the USA. Even at high schools, athletes are treated as if they are elite. This in turn breeds success.

“When we attend competitions, the whole team is behind you, and it really pushes you to succeed.

“The community in my sport is amazing and I really don’t know where I’d be without it,” Hannah explains.

Training incredibly hard to reach her goals, Hannah throws six times a week and takes part in gym and mobility sessions.

During her 2022 season, she has been exceptionally proud of her performance, especially after recovering from hip surgery at the end of 2021.

“In recent years my goal has been to throw 60m and it’s something that I’ve wanted for a long time.

“I had hip surgery at the end of November 2021, and it was really hard to come back from and recover. I lost so much weight on my legs during that time which is scary news for a thrower as a lot of power comes from our legs.

“I worked so hard to be back after my surgery and achieving my 60m throw this season meant I qualified for regionals.

“I rang my family straight away and as much as I knew they were proud of me, I was even more proud of myself.”

Back in the UK, Hannah’s biggest supporters are her family. Hannah says her mum is her ‘best friend’ and takes the time to FaceTime her everyday. It’s a bittersweet experience for Hannah, who says she hates leaving home to return to university but also loves her university experience and never wants to leave.

This experience has been made all the more amazing by the multitude of people she has met along the way. Making friends from a range of sports including tennis and water-skiing, the athlete has connections across the world.

Dreaming of making a GB squad one day, Hannah is incredibly proud of the experiences she has had.

“I would love to compete for Team GB, I never like to put pressure on myself, and I do this sport because I love it.

“But aside from that I’ve studied almost six years in America without paying a penny and I’ve had all these amazing experiences. If that’s as far as this sport takes me then I’ll be so happy with that,” Hannah said.

Now, Hannah strives to increase the profile around hammer throw, encouraging more young athletes to give it a try just like she did. With a lack of exposure compared to other disciplines, clubs are always on the lookout to strengthen their field teams.

“Hammer throw is a very difficult sport with lots of technicalities to learn. I would encourage anyone to take up a sport.

“Try as many sports as possible and take every opportunity that comes to you. Sport has changed my life and opened so many doors, it could do the same for you.”

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