WINNER OF WOMEN IN WORLD ATHLETICS (WIWA) COMMENTARY INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED

Women in World Athletics (WIWA), an initiative launched by UK Athletics in 2013, has today announced the winner of its commentary competition which will see one budding female commentator join the team for the live stream coverage of next week’s SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham (9-10 Feb).

This opportunity links to the annual ‘Women in World Athletics’ (WIWA) conference which has grown as a project over the last six years with the ambition of bringing women from across the world of athletics, together. This opportunity is an off-shoot project from the wider initiative, to increase the involvement of women in the sport at all levels and in all functions and roles.

Back in December WIWA invited women who are looking to develop a career in sports media to send in their commentary over the top of one key moment from the 2018 SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships series.

Judged by a panel consisting of WIWA Founder and British Athletics’ Major Events Director Cherry Alexander, former British international marathoner turned British Athletics regular in-stadium lead commentator Geoff Wightman and former British 100m star and 2008 Olympic finalist Jeanette Kwakye, Katie Hamilton, 29, from Kent, has been chosen as the competition’s winner following a superb entry covering Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s winning leap of 6.71m in the women’s long jump last year.

Alongside the experienced commentary team of Kris Temple and former 800m athlete Jenny Meadows, Katie will now get the opportunity of a lifetime to get behind the mic and commentate on the exciting British performances as athletes battle for the British title, and places at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow a few weeks later.

An avid athletics fan from a young age and an amateur athlete representing Ashford AC in a range of disciplines (though predominantly the high jump), Katie typically attends events held in the UK and will join the team for both days of the championships next weekend.

Further to this, Katie will also be invited to a special sports media session as part of the 7^th WIWA conference.

Major Events Director at British Athletics and founder of the WIWA project, Cherry Alexander said:

“Katie’s commentary of Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s leap of 6.71m to take the British long jump title displayed everything we were looking for: knowledge, enthusiasm and an ability to bring the key stages of what was happening on the field of play to life for the viewer.

“I’m sure she will be a great addition to the stream commentary team and will learn a lot from the experience that Kris and Jenny hold.”

Competition winner and co-commentator in waiting ahead of next weekend’s championships, Katie spoke of her excitement at being selected as the winning entrant and the opportunity itself:

“I’ve been involved in athletics for as long as I can remember, and I still compete semi-regularly for fun – I’m still a member of Ashford AC and have been since I was really young and it is something that probably stretches back 15 years or so.

“I follow athletics really regularly and keep across results, all of which has come from my parents’ enthusiasm for the sport which I definitely carry too, so this opportunity is something I’m really excited to be a part of.”

“I’ve always carried a general interest in broadcasting all the way through university; I did a bit of community radio work then and also had a bit of experience doing some shadowing work with the BBC.”