Neuff Ambassador Fact File: Lucy Harris

A much-loved throws athlete in both Wales and Loughborough, Lucy Harris is an energetic go-getter with big ambitions!

Primarily focused on discus, Lucy began her athletics journey through humble beginnings. Thanks to the supportive environment at Swansea Harriers, her inner confidence grew by leaps and bounds after trying a taster session, something she never thought would be possible as a child. Ever since, athletics has shaped her life in more ways than she could have ever thought possible.

Over the years, her strong work ethic has led to her becoming a Swansea Harriers YDL captain, a member of the Loughborough BUCS team and she even gained herself a place in the Welsh Athletics National Development Programme.

Looking ahead, Lucy wants to venture on a path abundant in electrifying opportunities, including competing at a future edition of the Commonwealth Games. Alongside this, she's keen to compete for Wales on an international scale to the fullest extent, seeing as it’s the country which she will always be proud to call home.

Now in her second year at Loughborough University, Lucy is only just getting started in her throws journey, even though she has encountered multiple highs in the sport already!

Learn more about Lucy's experiences in competing as a discus thrower by reading her Neuff fact file below.

When you first tried out athletics in primary school, how did your first experiences with the sport help you to start building up your confidence, both in and outside of athletics?

I remember first taking part in athletics when I was in year five. I had been involved in a wide range of sports, and didn’t know much about athletics in general.

I first got the opportunity to take part in athletics at my local athletics club, which is Swansea Harriers. They would host regular junior training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I often went to. I found it was a great way to meet new people, especially with the fact that a lot of the local primary school students were also going down too. Naturally, I’m quite a chatty person, so I enjoyed having these sorts of early experiences in athletics. It definitely helped me to build up my confidence.

It also had a knock-on effect in school, as I was now also getting more involved in the various clubs that were on offer as well. That really built me up as a person. I was also having a lot of hearing problems at this time, which previously knocked my confidence.

Athletics allowed me to build this new kind of confidence that I never knew I could gain. Since then, I’ve been able to maintain that level of confidence going forward, despite having been quite shy growing up.

Which events were you involved in initially?

To begin with, we did three-week intervals, where we would alternate between three different events. You would have to do a running event, normally paired with two other field events, such as shot put and pole vault. You would never be stuck only doing one thing on any given night. I always had the opportunity to try out different events, which really helped me! 

After two years of athletics, I very quickly concluded that running and jumping probably weren’t going to be my event choices! It was quite interesting, because I actually started off throwing javelin as opposed to discus initially. I had gone to a Welsh Athletics taster day where I had the chance to try it out. 

At my next competition, I was approached by a coach to throw the discus. Then, all of a sudden, I realised it was something I was quite good at! From then on, I just carried on with it.

How would you say you’ve developed with your throwing and as a person over the years?

It’s taken me quite a while. I’ve gone through quite a few different coaches along my journey that have each guided me through different stages of my throwing career. When I first started off on a Tuesday, I had two coaches who would teach me the basics, ensuring that I just enjoy myself. I then developed with my javelin coach and my new discus coach. 

With my personal development, lockdown was a key catalyst. I had to try and keep going, so I met my coach in the middle at a local cricket pitch, where we would throw in the rectangular patch that was available for us. This really was a pivotal time for me, as it provided me with the opportunity to learn how to do a full turn when throwing, even whilst everything was closed. Being able to work on those key technical aspects really helped in my development as an athlete. 

I was also completely unaware of the fact that I could compete for Wales internationally. I remember competing at a school event and being invited to represent Wales as part of their SIAB International team. This was a shock for me, as I went on to throw a new Personal Best in my 2nd year at SIAB. It was crazy for me to think that I’d be travelling so far away on a fourteen hour long bus to compete! It was an amazing experience!

What has been a real defining moment for you in your athletics journey so far?

I would have to say receiving one of my first Senior International vests.

Back in 2024, I represented the Welsh Senior team at the Loughborough International athletics competition. Prior to this, I’d continually had the opportunity to represent Wales at a junior level, but not yet as a senior.

Having competed already at the UK School Games, which was held at Loughborough University, I knew at that point that I would want to continue on with my studies there. I loved the track and everything about the campus as a whole. So, having the opportunity once again to compete at the Loughborough International was just amazing!

How do you unwind from everything?

Before starting university, I would normally spend a lot of my time revising.

If I wasn’t doing that, it would typically be watching films and TV series. As a big Marvel fan, that was definitely my go-to! I could get into that Marvel vs DC debate no problem!

But now, since coming to Loughborough, I’ve really gotten into reading and water colour painting. I’ve got a ridiculous amount of books that I’ve read. With painting, it’s something I used to do a lot of when I was younger. However, due to timings, I wasn’t able to do as much. If not for sport and academics, I definitely would’ve dove deeper into Art. Going into GCSE’s, it was something I was thinking about doing. Unfortunately, the subject didn’t fall into the right category, so I was unable to pursue it in that way. Arts & Crafts have always been something I’ve enjoyed doing.

What makes you most proud of your Welsh identity, and has your upbringing in Wales influenced the way you train or compete?

I’ve always been quite close to the beach, having had the opportunity to visit the Gower on many occasions, which is a beautiful beach in the South West of Wales. 

I’ve had the chance to train at Swansea University as well, where you can literally see the sea from the track. As a family, we’d go on regular dog walks along the beach and pick up a nice sweet treat from Joe’s Ice Cream along the way, which was lovely. I’ve always had that sense of Welsh pride, especially in my family with my dad and brother, who are quite into their rugby. We were always watching the games together and joking around with my family from England when the two nations would play. 

Athletics, of course, has also had a massive part to play as well. I could never have imagined receiving my Welsh vest when I was first starting in the sport. I could never have expected for things to turn out the way they have! 

It’s always extra special when I can get back home and be back with my family. I don’t really get to go home all that often, but whenever I do get the chance, it’s always lovely. A lot of my friends are based in Cardiff, so I always look forward to the train journeys back to Wales, just so I can see them again.

Interviewers: Destiny Ogali & Jack Henderson

Transcription: Destiny Ogali

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