Jason arrows in on Games dream (From Worcester News)

Jason arrows in on Games dream

10:00am Wednesday 25th January 2012 in News

A YOUNG javelin thrower hopes to launch his ambitions to compete at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

Jason Copsey, a third year environmental management student at the University of Worcester, is ranked second in his home nation, Wales, and 38th in Britain.

His current personal best is 62 metres, achieved without any expert tuition, but now he has teamed up with a top coach in Cheltenham.

Copsey wants to increase his throw to at least 75m, the standard for the Commonwealth Games, within the next two years.

The 20-year-old has received a £500 scholarship from the Worcester university to help with his training costs. He said: “I really think that next year I can achieve 70m and then hopefully the year after that 75m.

“I’m training six days a week most weeks and now have a really good coach, who used to coach Great Britain’s number two.

“I’m travelling to Cheltenham twice a week, which gets pretty expensive.

“I was working part-time but, now that I’m in my final year of my degree, it was getting really difficult to juggle my studies, training and a job, so this scholarship is a massive help.”

Copsey, who hails from Cwmbran, Gwent, started throwing the javelin while at school but, after an elbow injury in year 10, he quit only to return to the sport while studying for his A-levels.

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength competing at various tournaments, including at the UK Athletics Loughborough International where he came fifth.

In May he will represent Worcester at the British Universities and Colleges Sport competition at the Olympic Stadium in London.

“Ultimately, I would love to compete at the Commonwealth Games and then one day the Olympics,” Copsey said. “It would be a dream.”