UoB student places third in 800m at World Indoor Tour in New York

Issy Boffey, who studies at the University of Birmingham, represented Great Britain at the Athletics World Indoor Tour in New York on Sunday.

The second year Biomedical Science student came third in the women’s 800m.

Issy was awarded a UoB Sports Scholarship in 2018.

Issy Boffey has begun the 2021 indoor athletics season by winning third place in the women’s 800m at the World Indoor Tour in New York.

The UoB student outran American and Canadian competition at New Balance’s Indoor Grand Prix, achieving an indoor PB of 2.02.45. This time means she has qualified for the European Indoor Championships held in Poland in March.

Issy told the Birmingham Tab that she thought her performance was “great” and she was “very proud” of herself for “going up against some of the best in the world”.

She feels it’s been a “privilege” to be allowed to travel to America to race at the World Indoor Tour during the coronavirus pandemic, spending four days in New York last week. She described how “during Covid, virtual learning has allowed (her) to travel and compete”.

The second year stated that she is “so grateful to be able to race and train towards a big summer of competition” despite the strict travel restrictions the UK are currently under.

Issy first represented Team GB in athletics at the European Youth Championships in 2016 at the age of 16. In 2018 she was granted a University of Birmingham sports scholarship. Scholarships are awarded to around 30 athletes each year to help support them in both their senior-international and elite level sports and their studies.

Although she admits “balancing sport and uni is quite hard” the scholarship “really helps” her to commit to both her sport and her study of Biomedical Science. It has provided her with “loads of support through the university” and has allowed her access to a range of sports facilities including “gym, swim, physio and strength and conditioning”.

She told the Birmingham Tab that backing from UoB “makes training and being a student athlete so much easier” as the scholarship team “regularly interact and share ideas”.

“Overall, the university has been very accommodating to allow me to train and compete all year round”.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Meet the UoB student making easy online food recipes to get you through lockdown 

• Seven things UoB students should take up for Lent

• UoB students reveal Selly’s worst neighbours in lockdown