Former Hockey Player Kate Axford Set for Great Britain Athletics Debut

Bedford native Kate Axford has lowered her personal best in the 5000m by almost 30 seconds this year. The European Cross Country Championships will be broadcast live on Red Button, iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app starting at 07:55 GMT on Sunday, December 8. Kate Axford, whose family includes two siblings notable in hockey, stated, “My mum played lacrosse and my dad played rugby.” However, the 25-year-old is scheduled to make her Great Britain athletics debut at the European Cross Country Championships in Turkey this Sunday, a transition she made from hockey just last year due to an injury. This year, she has achieved a notable personal best in every distance she has competed in, encompassing the 1500m, 3,000m, and 5,000m on the track, as well as the 5km on the road. Speaking to BBC Three Counties Radio, she recounted, “I started playing hockey from about the age of 14.” She added, “It kind of snowballed from there and I just kept cracking on with it and really enjoyed it.” Axford also mentioned, “I did do a bit of athletics at school, a bit of cross country. I can’t say I was always the first one to want to actually go and do it, but I kind of fell into that.” Subsequently, Axford held a contract with GB Hockey, participating in international squads from the under-16 category through to the senior level. She said, “I felt like that was always going to be my journey in sport and the direction that I wanted to take things.” Axford further explained, “Unfortunately, I suffered a few pretty bad injuries, which meant that I needed to find another sport that would allow me to just start enjoying it again and not be injured all the time.” Kate Axford trained with the GB Hockey senior team, and her sister Maddie and brother Charlie have both earned international caps at age group level. A hip tear caused frustration for Axford, as it restricted her capacity to manage the abrupt forces of movement and directional changes inherent to hockey. Having competed in a few track races during her teenage years, she had a clear alternative path. She recalled, “I started running at the beginning of 2023, just going for runs, nothing serious.” Axford added, “I entered a couple of 5k local races and everything kind of went a bit crazy from there.” Axford secured a win in her initial 5,000m track race last April, and since then, she has lowered her personal best by almost 30 seconds, achieving a time of 15 minutes 19.40 seconds. A remarkable final-lap surge propelled her to a 3,000m bronze medal at her inaugural UK Indoor Athletics Championships in February of this year, followed by a win at the European cross country trial held in Liverpool last month. Similarities exist between Axford and Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Bell, who achieved a significant breakthrough after a five-year hiatus from track competition. However, Bell, an English Schools champion at 14, reconnected with her respected former coach Trevor Painter to realize her potential for Paris. Axford, who contacted her current club Belgrave Harriers, commented, “I probably didn’t have those same connections.” She continued, “I know Georgia. It’s been really exciting just seeing her journey, her story really shows that you can come from anywhere.” Axford also noted, “Just to see women from Great Britain doing so well, it has definitely inspired a lot of people and female runners to just go for it and not put limits on ourselves.” Kate Axford earned a medal at her first national indoor championships in Birmingham following a brilliant finish. Axford is accustomed to the fellowship of team sports, but believes there’s a misunderstanding that athletics is exclusively a solitary, individual endeavor. She stated, “We have a team of six women who are going out to compete [at the European Cross Country Championships in Antalya].” Axford also said, “There is a team result at the end of it as well, that is something that I really enjoy about the sport and something I wasn’t expecting.” She concluded, “Everyone is very supportive, everyone wants to see you succeed.” Nevertheless, women’s middle-distance running in the UK is currently undergoing a golden era, highlighted by Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, Jemma Reekie, and Bell achieving a unique British one-two-three ranking at the pinnacle of the distance’s global performance lists. While additional international selections for Axford may prove challenging, she currently faces no pressure as she embarks on her cross country experience. She said, “It is definitely going to be a bit of learning as well as enjoying the moment.” Axford added, “It is just a real opportunity for me to see how I line up against some of the best in Europe.” Subsequently, Axford intends to pursue qualifying times for the European Indoor Championships in March, with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles representing a long-term aspiration, mirroring her ambitions in her former sport. She said, “I was lucky to have been coached by [2016 Olympic hockey champion and former GB captain] Alex Danson when I played hockey.” Axford continued, “She is an incredible person and someone I look up to a lot. Her values and integrity, you can take into any sport.” Mica Moore, Kadeena Cox, and Shaunagh Brown are three British women who have transitioned their athletics skills to another sport. Achieving elite status in two different sports is not entirely rare, but Axford belongs to a select group of British women who have distinguished themselves in both athletics and an additional discipline. Kadeena Cox stands out as the most prominent, having secured five Paralympic gold medals in athletics and cycling since 2016. Shaunagh Brown competed for England as a hammer thrower at the Commonwealth Games ten years ago, prior to reaching the Rugby World Cup final in 2021. Mica Moore, then a sprinter, also participated at Glasgow 2014, and four years subsequent, she achieved the highest-ever result for a British women’s bobsleigh team at a Winter Olympics. Montell Douglas, a former UK 100m record holder, has competed in the same two sports as Moore, becoming the first woman to represent Team GB at both the Summer and Winter Olympics in 2022. Axford’s dual-sport involvement is uncommon at the international level, although Alix Jamieson, a 1964 Olympic long jump finalist, also played hockey for Scotland.