East makes positive start after winter of coaching changes
Local javelin thrower Ben East has made a positive start to the season.
After a winter of upheaval, the Newbury thrower has seen good progress in 2025 as he looks to secure his place at the top of the sport.
Early in March he competed in the 2025 Winter Long Throws Championships in Loughborough, the season opener.
He threw 73.50m, securing a gold medal, before heading out to Cyprus for the European Throwing Cup.
There he reached 73.41m, although this was only good enough for fourth in the U23 category, missing out on a podium by just 45cm.
“There’s been a lot of change recently,” East explained.
“I’m now being coached by John Trower, who has been working with us for over a year.
“He’s been absolutely incredible.
“He was Steve Backley’s coach, so he’s incredibly experienced.
“But most importantly his style of coaching works very well with how I function.
“So there’s a lot of chemistry, it’s been working very well.”
The winter is a chance for throwers to train their fundamentals, one which East was keen to grasp as his coaching team evolved.
“We cut out throws completely, focussing on strength and conditioning work,” he explained.
“I’ve formulated quite a good team working around me.
“I spend a lot of time training with Dan Pembroke, who is the Paralympic world record holder.
“He’s also coached by John, and I spend a lot of time working with him in Hereford.
“A chap called Joe Parker does my programming, and he also works with Dan.
“There’s a lot of stuff to learn. This team can take me where I want to go, and hopefully that’s Los Angeles.”
Gold in March was pleasing for East, who saw it as a vindication of his winter changes.
“The opener is always one of the most nerve-wracking,” he explained.
“It feels like there’s a lot riding on it, even if there isn’t.
“You’ve done all this work, has it actually done anything?
“I threw three-and-a-half metres further than the last two years, so it was a good sign.”
For performance athletes like East, mental preparation is just as important as physical.
East provided insight into that side of his performance, as he looks to gain every advantage available to him.
“In every training session you have a key focus,” he said.
“It becomes a subconscious thing. You don’t think about it, you just do it.
“You’re doing something you’ve done hundreds of times.
“I’ve developed the ability to control my adrenaline more in competition.
“And I’ve started dabbling in visualisation.
“John is quite big on that.
“This season I’ve had visualisation sessions, some just for run-ups, some for the throws.
“But it’s something which is quite difficult to do, and difficult to use effectively.
“I’m developing and learning, but it’s definitely an effective technique.
“You’ve experienced the competition before you’ve even gone there, and can control it better.”
East has a busy year ahead, and he has high hopes for what he can achieve this season.
“The big one this year will be the British Championships,” he said.
“I’m hoping to win my title back after a second place last year.
“Fingers crossed, the U23 European Championships in Bergen, too.
“The qualifying mark for that is 77.50m, so very high.
“But it’s well within reach and I have confidence that I’ll be able to hit that.”
