AW Magazine

9 November 2023

The November issue of AW features a candid, exclusive interview with British pole vault record-holder Holly Bradshaw, who is asking a big question: is the pursuit of Olympic medals really worth it? The 31-year-old won bronze in Tokyo two years ago but, as she nears the end of her career, she admits to having been left “damaged physically and mentally” by devoting her adult life to professional sport. We also hear from another Olympic medallist, Laura Muir, about how a turbulent year has taught her some important lessons, while world 400m silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith speaks about the process of making himself “bulletproof” as he eyes gold in Paris next year. This is also the time of year when we ask the AW readers to call on their extensive athletics knowledge and vote for their AW Readers’ Awards athletes of the year. Given the quality of the 2023 shortlists, the decisions will not be easy! Another packed issue also examines how serial track champion Joshua Cheptegei might fare on his marathon debut, a new book goes inside the historic staging of the first women’s Olympic 26.2-mile contest, and we also go behind the scenes of the Sri Chinmoy 3100 – the longest certified race in the world. British middle distance man George Mills also talks us through how he is bouncing back from disappointment and 1996 Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey recalls his golden moment, while Verity Ockenden writes about the art of taking some rest and Katharine Merry looks at the challenges of starting back for winter training.