Australian Hurdler Ashleigh Horrobin

Coming all the way from Australia to speak with us is 400m Hurdler, Ash Horrobin.  Discovering a love for the event at such a young age led Ashleigh to work hard and doing whatever it takes to reach her goals.  For our younger athletes trying to manage school and their sport pay attention to how Ashleigh had a similar issue with Track and a Job, you need to manage your time and find a way to make it work.  It’s not easy but it’s the only way it can happen.

Good luck this season Ashleigh, thanks for speaking with us!

1: How did you get started in your Sport?
Both my parents were 400m hurdlers so naturally they took me down to Little Athletics when i was 4. I was instantly obsessed with the sport trying every event with a love for hurdles and jumps.

2: What was a major struggle for your training and/or success
Injury and trying to balance a full time job and full time training has been the hardest part of the sport for me. I am yet to get through a full season without multiple injuries which makes it extremely tough to reach your goals but i do believe each setback has made me hungrier to work even harder while also identifies weaknesses i still need to make stronger. The other challenge i have had is balancing running and a full time job, while at first i was always tired and constantly running from one thing to the next over time i identified a daily routine that made everything more manageable.  

3: What is your current goal
After this year i learnt a valuable lesson “don’t tell people your dreams. Show them.” Putting my goals out to the world meant i felt a lot of extra pressure on myself this season. I think goal setting is so important for growing as an athlete but for this year it will be something i keep to myself and my team!  

4:  What advice would you give a young athlete
Try everything and continue with what makes you most happy. I grew up trying every sport under the sun and every event that athletics had to offer. I didn’t solely focus on track and the 400m hurdles until i was 23 and knew that was exactly what I wanted to go after! Once i did put all my efforts into the one event it was amazing how quickly i could see improvements but at the same time i have learnt you have to be patient as success definitely isn’t instant!


5:   How big of a role is nutrition when it comes to your training?
So important! I have always been someone with a fast metabolism and never had to worry about what i eat, however little did i realize how much of a difference nutrition actual made to how i would feel day to day at training. Changing my diet to be full of nutritious and healthy foods have meant i can train much hard, feel less tired and recover faster.