London 2012 Olympics: No medal, but Holly Bleasdale gets gold ring

Published on 08/08/2012 01:15

SHE may not have done as well as she hoped in the pole vault final, but Holly Bleasdale was celebrating anyway after being proposed to by her boyfriend.

Bleasdale, 20, from Wigan, said she was “disappointed” by her performance in the Olympic Stadium, finishing in sixth place.

The British record holder was on the verge of tears as she failed her third and final attempt to try for a medal.

However, things looked up for her later in the night and she tweeted: “6th in the Olympics and @bradshaaaw proposes to me :) epic day!!!”

Her boyfriend, Paul Bradshaw, then wrote on Twitter: “I have just proposed to @HollyBleasdale and she said yes!!!!! Best 
day ever!”

Bleasdale appeared to wilt under the pressure in the Olympic Stadium.

She was on the verge of tears as she failed her third and final attempt at 4.55m, well below her best this summer of 4.71m.

She looked nervous as soon as she was introduced to the crowd and almost went out at 4.45m, needing three attempts to clear her opening height.

She said: “The conditions weren’t great, it was really bad headwind.

“I’m really disappointed with how I did. I felt like I could have jumped around 4.70m but I struggled to cope with the conditions.

“I am trying to look at the positives and to finish in the top eight in my first Olympic final is pretty good, but I am just heartbroken with how it went today.

“I am only 20 and I feel like I could have performed well this year.”

Since trying out the event for the first time at the age of 17, the former gymnast and runner has enjoyed a meteoric rise.

“When it was Beijing I didn’t really know anything about pole vaulting,” she said.

“I was doing hurdles at the time, still involved in athletics and playing a bit of football.”