Henry Dover, GB Athlete and National Record Holder
Henry Dover joined Woodbridge School in Year 9, in 2019. His endurance athletic development over the five years here in School have been nothing short of phenomenal; all well-deserved, combining his talent, commitment and hard work.
Henry has represented English Schools on the track, Great Britain in Cross Country, set national records and secured a full athletic Scholarship at Oklahoma State University – a phenomenal and consistent record of achievement.
Speaking to Woodbridge School’s Running Coach, Mark Goddard, about Henry’s success he said,
“It has been a huge honour to work with Henry and to watch his hunger for success be rewarded with International opportunities at such a young age. With the support of those around him, I have no doubt that we will be hearing about his achievements for many years to come.”
He continued,
“From me, it is a thank you to Henry for the memories, I wish him the very best of luck even though I know it is his consistency of hard training rather than luck that will continue to deliver results for him as he leaves School and begins the next chapter of his athletic career.”
Looking at Henry’s achievements over the years it’s clear to see the exceptionally high level of success he’s achieved. Head of School Shona Norman commented,
“It has been an absolute pleasure to watch Henry’s athletic development in School and at various events he represents himself and his country. We are immensely proud of all he has achieved, on the track and in School, and excited for the future for him.”
Henry’s history of athletic achievements at Woodbridge School:
2022 for Henry:
- Finished in the top 10 at English Schools XC for the second time
- Won Inter Boys 1500 at English Schools
- Won SIAB International Inter Boys 1500 in Belfast setting a meeting record
- Won the U17 English National 3000m breaking a record that had stood for 42 years
- Ran an 8:15 for U17 3000m to go 5th on the UK all-time list (The name in 6th on that list now reads Mohamed Farah!)
- Won the London Mini Marathon
Photo credit: Mark Shearman
2023 for Henry:
- Won the English National Cross Country
- Finished 3rd at the UK Inter County Cross Country winning individual bronze and team gold with Essex
- Won the British U20 European Cross Country Trial in Liverpool and was selected to race for Great Britain for the first time
- Represented GB U20 at the European Championships in Brussels where he finishes a remarkable 6th. That was 6th fastest U20 in Europe whilst still at School having only just turned 18! Team silver with GB.
Photo credit: Vincosport
2024 for Henry:
- Finished 3rd at the UK Inter County Cross Country and was selected to represent Great Britain U20 at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia
- Finished a credible 62nd at the World Cross Country Championships
- Achieved a 5th place finish at English Schools Cross Country to make the top 10 for the third time in five years
- Won the 3,000m A Race at the BMC Grand Prix in Loughborough June 2024; running 7:57:47, well within the qualifying standard of 8:05 for the World U20 Championships taking place in Peru in August. In doing so Henry was ranked 2nd U20 in the UK in 2024, sat 7th on the UK’s U20 all-time list, and is, at the time of writing this in July 2024, ranked in the top 20 U20 in the world for 3,000m
- Silver at English Schools in Birmingham, July 2024 in Senior Boys 1500m, pipped by 0.2 of a second by a 3:42 athlete
- Silver at the England U20 Championships, 3000m, July 2024. Henry was selected to represent GB at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Peru August 2024; Henry’s third GB vest in eight months, and his first for a track event!
Photo credit: Vincosport
Henry leaves the UK in August, flying to the USA to join Oklahoma State University on an athletic scholarship to read ‘Applied Science: Sport and Coaching’, with the hope of further developing his athletic career. OSU won the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championship in 2023, so he joins one of the very best endurance running squads in the USA and of course, we wish him the very best of luck and look forward to hearing more of his continued success no doubt.
You can read more about Cross Country Running at Woodbridge School at https://www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk/sport/cross-country/
Featured photo credit: Motion In Focus
