07 February 2023 , 17:57
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Team GB shot put star Sophie McKinna has appealed for help on social media after her hopes of competing at next week's UK Indoor Championships were thrown into danger.
McKinna is one of the country's top shot putters, having represented Team GB the World Championships, the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. The next big date in her diary is the UK Indoor Championships which kick off in Birmingham next week.
However her chances of competing on the big stage have taken a hit after her car was broken into earlier this week, with her shot put training bag being taken from it.
The bag is of course imperative to the 28-year-old competing, and she has since issued a statement asking for the help of the public to locate the missing kit. The statement appeared to have been written by one of McKinna's parents.
The post read: "Last night my daughter's car was broken into. Sophie's black adidas training bag was taken, which contained her shot put and training equipment. These are of no value to anyone apart from Sophie, and without these she can not compete at next week's British Championships or for her country."
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McKinna herself shared the call for help to her 3,600 followers on Twitter. Discussing the gut-wrenching break in, she told the : "It's strange because there were more valuable things in the car, like a Barbour coat and my weight-lifting belt, but they took my training bag.
"It impacts all of my training which is so frustrating. I couldn't train. I would've preferred anything else be stolen. Like my Apple watch was taken too and I'm not that bothered, it's more easily replaced.
Sophie McKinna has represented Team GB at the Olympics (Getty Images)"But my shot puts don't even have a high resale value, they're not a precious material. They aren't worth anything to anyone but me. I'm hoping the person who took them has just dumped them nearby after realising they aren't worth anything so we can find them and I can get back to training."
After sharing the statement from her parents on Twitter, McKinna called on anyone reading with information on the break in or whereabouts to reach out to herself or Norfolk police.