- By Joe Dean
- ` Sport, Norfolk
1 hour ago
image source, Getty Images
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Sophie McKinna has her sights set on the Olympics
Shot putter Sophie McKinna has set her sights on the 2024 Paris Olympics after recovering from a serious elbow injury.
The 29-year-old, from Gorleston, Norfolk, missed much of the 2023 season after undergoing surgery.
She is now back in full training and will take part in the UK Indoor Championships in Birmingham next month.
“This is my first step on the way to Paris. I am determined and will never rule out the Olympics,” she said.
“I'm not being unrealistic about the fact that it will be very difficult given my injuries, but I'm not ruling it out and training is in full swing to hopefully get to the Olympics.”
image source, Sophie McKinna
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Sophie McKinna is recovering at home from elbow surgery
McKinna said there was a “big period” when she thought she needed to retire.
“It took me a long time to have the confidence to throw with the same power that I had thrown before,” she said.
“Although I got back in the circle sooner than expected, I didn't throw at full power for some time. The confidence is back now.”
She said competing makes her feel “most alive.”
“I'm now coming to the final part of my career and I really want to end it with a bang and a success,” she said.
She said she also suffered from an elbow injury during this time.
“I actually broke my elbow three years ago and kind of limped it for the last three seasons, but then it got to the point where I needed surgery to basically be able to throw further again.” said the athlete.
“It was a matter of letting the injury heal and then managing it over time because it caused inflammation in the joint which put pressure on the nerves, which led to problems with my hand. So when I had the surgery, the injury was pretty big,” she said.
“The operation was more complicated than originally, but I had to get through the last few years because of the Olympics.”
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