Ben Higgins
- Sport:
- Athletics
- Level:
- Ambassador
- NGB:
- UK Athletics
- District:
- Rutland
- School:
- Brooksby Melton College
- Achievements from Application:
- Selected to represent GB Juniors at the Loughborough International May 2019
Blog
- Mar 23
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- Sep 20
I've just got back from Istanbul where I competed as part of the 4 x 400m relay team For GB. It was another amazing experience leading out my country and I was very pleased with how my leg went.
I've had a very successful indoor season with a win, indoor PB And meeting record at a World indoor Tour Bronze meet in Dortmund Germany, a 2nd place at another World indoor tour bronze Meet in Manchester. A silver medal at The British indoor Championships and selection for GB for the European indoor champ for the 4 x 400m relay.
A few days rest and then back to training getting ready for the outdoor season!
I'm really into winter training now and it's going well. I feel fit and strong and am seeing good progressions on my stats from the same training sessions this time last year which is pleasing.
I've also been looking at my nutrition with a nutritionalist to make sure I am fuelling my body effectively for what I am expecting of it and have made a few tweaks to my diet, mostly adding in the right kind of snacks to fill me/fuel me better.
Being part of the GB 4 x 400m relay squad at the European championships in Munich in August was a fantastic way to end my 2022 season. It's given me even more fuel to my fire to want to go on to achieve more international selections in the coming years, Im so focused on achieving this.
I did some pace making duties for a BMC event at Loughborough to end my season fully, that was fun and a first for me!
I got struck down with illness when I started my break But was able to go on holiday once I was better and now feel fully refreshed and started back training this week. I looking forward to getting stuck into winter training now and working harder than even to see what 2023 can bring on the track!
A massive thank you to Team Leicestershire Talent for the support this year!
I took a few days break after the British Champs as I was feeling mentally drained after an incredibly long year of racing. I came back and ran a pb of 46.38 400m in London the following week so I clearly needed the rest!
At the end of July I raced in Bedford at the England Senior National Champs, 3 rounds over the 2 days and I came away with a silver medal.
I also got a late call up to the Great Britain team for the European Championships in Munich for the 4 x 400m relay squad. Really pleased to be part of a GB senior team for the second time in 2022.
It was the British Championships last weekend in Manchester.
the conditions were far from ideal, it was very blustery making for difficult racing conditions.
The men's 400m field was stacked and I ran well in my heat to come second and progress to the final.
My performance in the final didn't reflect what I know I'm capable of but with a difficult lane draw and the weather conditions it was what it was and to finish 7th in the UK and be the youngest in the final was still a pretty good result on reflection!
I'm going to be doing a few 400m hurdles races in the next couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing how I perform!
At the beginning of the month I was selected to go to Athens to compete in a 4 x 400m relay qualifier for GB. I ran my fastest every relay split and really enjoyed the experience. The race was at 10.30pm due to the heat which was a new exercise racing at that time of night!
The following weekend I travelled to Geneva in Switzerland to compete. It wasn't my best performance but as with every race, I learnt things and will build and improve from the experience. This is the first season I've travelled abroad to compete and I'm learning a lot each and every trip on what works well and what doesn't in terms of preparation and travel etc which will help me going forward.
I'm just coming to the end of a training block ahead of British Champs/World Trials this weekend up in Manchester. I'm really excited to compete!
Ambassador
Birmingham Diamond League, Loughborough International and Belgium Trip
8th Jun, 2022
It's been a very busy few weeks with lots of racing!
Mid May I was selected to compete at the Birmingham Diamond League in the 400m B race, this was an amazing experience and in the new commonwealth games stadium! I finished 3rd in a stacked field and ran just outside my on in very blustery conditions.
The next day I was competing at The Loughborough International, it was my first race over the hurdles this year and I ran just outside my pb which I was really pleased with plus a very solid relay leg too!
The following weekend I headed out to Oordegem in Belgium for the IFAM athletics meeting, I tried something a little different in that race and paid for it in the last 100m but still managed to put in another decent time!
Last month I spent 2 weeks in Majorca on a warm weather training camp with my coach and training group. This would not have been possible without the support of Active Together/Team Leicestershire Talent - thank you so much for your ongoing support, it makes such a difference to me as an athlete. it was great to get some quality training in out there in the warmer weather.
A couple of weeks ago it was The British Universities Championships in Chelmsford. I was really pleased to come away as BUCS 400m champion and to also run a pb in the final after 3 rounds. I was also part of a championship record breaking 4 x 400m relay team for Loughborough uni where we smashed the championships record that had stood for over 25 years (before any of the team were born!) knocking 5 seconds off the record!
After winning the British Indoor Athletics Championships i went on to get my first senior GB call up for the 4 x 400m relay team at The World Indoor Athletics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
it was such an amazing experience from start to finish and I'm hungry for more opportunities on the international stage.
We had 3 injuries in a squad of 6 which meant drafting in someone from another event but we still managed to make the final where we finished 6th. I was so proud to represent my country and of my performances in the heat and the final, leading out my country in a world final is something I will never ever forget!
At the end of February it was the British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham. My indoor season had been been shaping up nicely with lots of indoor 400m PBs and my England Senior debut earlier in the month.
I put together a really solid series of races including and indoor and outdoor PB in the semi final. I finished second in another very solid time and then ended up being promoted to British Champions due to a DQ.
An absolutely amazing experience and incredible to win at my my first ever indoor British Champs!
After a really good start to my indoor season with running a couple of solid times over 400m flat, I was selected to represent Team England in the European Athletics DNA Glasgow event in the mixed 4 x 400m relay.
This was my England Debut as a senior athlete (having had a couple of England and GB call ups at youth and junior level), so it feels like a massive step forward on that journey from junior to senior athlete!
The event was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. I ran a good solid last leg of the 4 x 400m relay and was really pleased with my split time.
I now have a couple more local races before the British Indoor Champs towards the end of February.
Thank you so much to LRS/Active Together for all the support over the years - it makes a big difference ☺️
I opened my indoor season last weekend up in Sheffield at the Northern Athletics Indoor Champs. It was my first indoor 400m race in almost 3 years due to badly timed injuries and COVID and there were 3 rounds in less than 3.5 hours which was not ideal by a long way!!
However I managed to very comfortably qualify for the semi final and then also win my semi to progress to the final. The final was a much tougher race with the reigning British 400m champion and 2021 European Indoor 4 x 400m relay bronze medalist on the lane inside me - I ran a massive indoor PB to take the win!
I was really happy with my performance and cant wait to compete again this weekend back in Sheffield where I'll be running 60m and 400m this time.
Training is going really well. We've been doing lots of speed work and I'm feeling in great shape!
I wasn't able to compete at the beginning of the month due to mild illness but can't wait to race in January!
no rest over Christmas, it's an important stage during this block of training. I'm not training on Christmas Day but will be on every other day!
I've been really busy getting into my winter training the last 6-8 weeks and settling in with my new coach.
Training is going really well, I'm really enjoying my new programme and looking forward to competing in a couple of weeks!
We have been focusing on speed work so I'm doing 2 rounds of 60m indoors at Loughborough Uni in mid December, it will be nice to see where I'm at with my speed at this early point in the year!
I started back to some pre winter training last week after a few weeks break. it's great to be back on the track again! Its always amazing to have an end of season break and a holiday as it's the only time of the year when I get to completely switch off from my athletics but after 2-3 weeks I'm always ready to get back to it and get back into a routine!
I have started working with a new coach and I'm really excited to see what the 2022 season will bring. I have high aspirations and will be working harder than ever to achieve those goals!
Thank you as always GOGold for the ongoing supportz
It's been a very busy month if so with loads of competing and quite a lot of stress too!
I am currently coachless and this has been hugely difficult mid season trying to navigate National championshios without the support of my coach.
All things considered I've had a very successful time.
Bronze medalist in 400mH at the England u23 championships
Qualifying to Compete at The Olympic Trials (British Championships)
6th in the 400mH Final of the England Senior Athletics Championships
i then went on to run a Pb of almost a second in the 400mH last week which takes me to just outside the top 10 in the Uk overall this year and 4th in the u23 age group in the Uk.
still a few races to come!
It's been so nice to be back racing again - finally! I've run 4 races in the last few weeks and am starting to get back into things now. I've bought my 400m hurdles pb down twice in the last 7 days which I'm thrilled about and got A bronze medal in the Midland Senior Championships today in this event.
Im looking forward to competing at the U23 England Champs next weekend in Bedford and the British Champs/Olympic Trials the following weekend too, an exciting couple of weeks ahead!
Training has been going really well after an injury last month and I’m really looking forward to my first race next Sunday. I’ve been working really hard and it will be nice to see where I’m at when I race.
Last season I barely raced so it feels a long time since I’ve been competing regularly so I am excited about starting the competition season!
With dates for competitions for the outdoor track season starting to be announced I’m really looking forward to competing again and beginning to plan my races.
Training is going really well, I’ve been doing a lot more hurdling this month too.
Unfortunately I caught covid in January and had to isolate for 10 days and also was not that well so had to listen to my body and rest to make sure I recovered, then just as I was out of isolation and feeling okay along came the huge amounts of snow!! Sometimes you feel like the odds are just stacked against you but thanks to my coach who always goes above and beyond we were still able to do some snowy 121 sessions. It's taken me a couple of weeks post covid for my body to feel totally back to normal but this week training is going great and I feel good! It's great to be back on track and training well again after a few difficult weeks! All part of the journey.
January hasn’t been the easiest start to the year, lockdown meaning training is compromised again and we have had to adapt yet again to not being able to do certain parts of my normal training. Making the best of things though!
December has been a great month so far for me training wise, I’ve had some brilliant sessions and really can feel improvements in every aspect of my training!
I’m looking forward to seeing what 2021 holds for me.
I’d like to wish everyone at LRS a very merry Christmas and thank you again for the invaluable support this year!
Lockdown#2 has meant I've had to adapt my training programme considerably, but having done this once for the first lockdown it wasn't so hard this time!
I'm still managing to do my full programme just with some adaptations including converting my living room into a full gym!
Training is going really well.
Training is going really well and I have had a really good first block of winter training so far. I feel fitter and stronger than ever before and and really enjoying my training programme. Big thanks to GoGold at LRS for the ongoing support – it really is invaluable and makes a huge difference to me.
After having my break in August for 3 weeks I am now back into pre winter training.
I feel really motivated for winter training and am more focused that ever.
It has been a strange year and I chose to only compete once due to wanting to get back into training earlier this autumn so needing to have an earlier break and I'm really pleased I made that decision with my coach.
