Commonwealth Games: Ratcliffe fits hammer around her studies

Julia Ratcliffe

Julia Ratcliffe is preparing for a holiday with friends, just enjoying some down time in what is becoming a hectic life.

Her Commonwealth Games silver medal in the hammer throw is a fine reward for an athlete who is busy combining economics studies at Princeton University in New Jersey with pressing on to being among the leading throwers in the world.

She beat all but Canadian world No 8 Sultana Frizell, who banged out a couple of Games record throws culminating in a 71.97m effort yesterday. Ratcliffe's best, 69.96m, was comfortably good enough for second.

Her routine was simple: get set, a quick look over her right shoulder down the field, a lick of the lips, two swings of the hammer above her head, five rapid spins and fling it out. Timing is key.

Frizell, significantly bigger, had a slower spin and more power.

"She's awesome," Ratcliffe, 20, said of the high-spirited Canadian.

She was rapt to run into her Princeton teammate Damon McLean, a triple jumper for Jamaica, at the athletes village.

"I had breakfast with him. Everyone said who's he, is he famous," she laughed.

Her Princeton friends "don't really know what the Commonwealth Games is", but she's educating them. Her athletic talent is also a work in rapid progress. She's No29 in the world, but heading in a northerly direction. Technique is all for Ratcliffe.

"There's always room for improvement so I'm looking forward to seeing where I can go," she said.

And as she contemplated what she'd achieved yesterday, the smile was hard to wipe off her face.