Iona Lake
IONA LAKE
Athletics
Iona took up athletics when she was 11 years old, she soon realised she was not built for many other events but endurance she could do. But it wasn’t until she was 15 when she began to train properly and dedicate more time to the sport.
When she was 19, while studying at the University of Birmingham, she started to have success, earning her first GB representation as a Junior in Cross-country. In 2014, she went to the University of Virginia in the US to study for 2 years for her Masters of Education on an athletics scholarship. During this time she progressed as an athlete and reduced her best times dramatically, qualifying for the U23 European Championships in 2015.
However, when she returned from the states in 2016, she was struggling with an ongoing hamstring injury. This forced her to have 5 months complete rest and almost a year out of the sport. In 2017, she returned in style to win the 3k Steeplechase at the British Championships and in 2018 competed at the Commonwealth Games in Australia for Team England finishing 8th place.
Iona qualified as a Mental Health First Aider in February 2021
