Zara Obamakinwa
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 30 March 2004 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Discus throw |
| Club | Blackheath & Bromley AC |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | Discus: 61.87 m (2026) |
Zara Obamakinwa (born 30 March 2004) is a British discus thrower. A national under-20 record holder she went on to win the 2025 and the 2026 UK Athletics Championships.
She competed for Great Britain at the European Throwing Cup and the European Athletics Team Championships in 2025.[1]
Early life
From Strood, she started-out competing in shot put before trying the discus throw for the first time in 2016 under coach Mark Chapman.[2] She attended Queen Anne's School in Caversham where she completed A-levels in computer science, maths, and physics.[3]
Career
She reached the final of the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.[4] Competing as a Blackheath & Bromley athlete, she broke the 16-year-old British under-20 national record with 55.99m when winning bronze at the 2023 British Athletics Championships.[5]
She finished second with a throw of 53.23 metres at the 2024 British Athletics Championships.[6] In November 2024, she was named by British Athletics on the Olympic Futures Programme for 2025.[7]
On 1 March 2025, she threw a personal best 55.06 metres at the UK Winter Long Throws Championships, in Loughborough.[8][9] She was selected to represent Great Britain at the European Throwing Cup later that month.[10] In May 2025, she increased her personal best again, to 58.17 metres whilst competing in London, and then won the discus at the Loughborough International competing for England, with a throw of 57.25 metres.[11][12][13]
She was selected for the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships in Madrid in June 2025, placing fourteenth overall, helping the Great Britain team to finish in fifth place overall.[14][15][16] She was named in the British team for the 2025 European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen.[17]
On 3 August 2025, she became the British discus throw champion, after winning the title at the 2025 UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham with a throw of 55.90 metres.[18][19] In October 2025, she was retained on the British Athletics Olympic Futures Programme for 2025/26.[20]
On 28 February 2026, at the Winter Long Throws Championships in Loughborough she threw a new championship best 56.60m to win the discus title.[21] On 21 June 2026, she won the discus throw at the 2026 UK Athletics Championships, sealing the win with a throw of 55.85 metres in the final round.[22][23] In July, she threw 58.21 metres to also win the discus title at the 2026 England Athletics Championships and improved her personal best later that month with 61.87m competing in the National Athletics League.[24][25] On 12 August, she represented Great Britain at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England.[26]
References
- ↑ "Zara OBAMAKINWA". World Athletics. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ↑ "Zara Obamakinwa: Strood's discus thrower". Communityad. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ "Queen Anne's Caversham student scores place at World Athletics U20 Championships in Columbia". inyourarea.co.uk. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ "OBAMAKINWA, ASHURST AND TUTTON AMONG THOSE TO REACH WORLD U20 FINALS". British Athletics. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ↑ Crumley, Euan (2 April 2024). "Steve Backley on how to revive Britain's ailing throws events". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ↑ "UK Championships". World Athletics. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ "2024-25 OLYMPIC FUTURES PROGRAMME ATHLETES ANNOUNCED". British Athletics. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ↑ "UK Winter Long Throws Championships". World Athletics. 1 March 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ "Throwing down early PBs - All the action from the Winter Long Throws Championships". England Athletics. 5 March 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ "EIGHT ATHLETES SELECTED FOR GB & NI FOR THE EUROPEAN THROWING CUP IN CYPRUS". British Athletics. 6 March 2025.
- ↑ "Kickstarting the season at Loughborough International". England Athletics. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
- ↑ "MOLLY PALMER IMPRESSES IN LOUGHBOROUGH LONG JUMP AS JAZ SAWYERS RETURNS". Athletics Weekly. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC Spring Open". World Athletics. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ Mallows, Tom (29 June 2025). "GB finish fifth at European Athletics Team Championships". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ "GB&NI Team for European Team Championships Announced". Fast Running. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "SPRINTING TO SUCCESS FOR GB&NI TEAM ON DAY 2 OF THE EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPS". British Athletics. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ↑ Henderson, Jason (3 July 2025). "BIG GB TEAMS FOR THE EURO U23 CHAMPS AND WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ↑ Poole, Harry (3 August 2025). "Asher-Smith and Hughes break records at UK Champs". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ↑ "HUGHES STARS AGAIN ON DAY OF STERLING ACTION AT NOVUNA UK ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS". British Athletics. 3 August 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ "2025-26 OLYMPIC FUTURES PROGRAMME ATHLETES ANNOUNCED". British Athletics. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ↑ "Winter Long Throws Championships help athletes progress and prepare". England Athletics. 28 February 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "GLORIOUS SUCCESS FOR EDUAN AS ANNING, HUNTER BELL, HADAWAY & WIGHTMAN STAR IN BIRMINGHAM". British Athletics. 21 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ Henderson, Jason (22 June 2026). "SCOTT LINCOLN LEADS FIELD EVENT WINNERS IN BIRMINGHAM". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "England U20 and Senior Track and Field and Combined Events championships". World Athletics. 5 July 2026. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
- ↑ Duff, Martin (13 July 2026). "THAMES VALLEY TIGHTEN GRIP ON NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE PREMIERSHIP". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
- ↑ "ENGLISH SMASHES 48-YEAR-OLD CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD AS BURGIN POWERS THROUGH TO 800M FINAL". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 13 August 2026.