Wales' Amy Hughes Excels as Champion Long Jumper and Hockey Goalkeeper

Amy Hughes, a 21-year-old Welsh athlete, excels as both a champion long jumper and hockey goalkeeper. She aims to help Wales qualify for the Hockey World Cup, balancing her dual sports careers with notable achievements in both.

Combining hockey goalkeeping and long-jumping dreams

In the realm of multi-sport athletes, it is common to see sprinters transition to bobsleigh, rugby players try American football, and para-swimmers switch to track cycling. However, the story of a hockey goalkeeper who is also a champion long-jumper is less typical.

Meet Amy Hughes, who is traveling to India with Wales' hockey team as they aim to qualify for this summer's Hockey World Cup.

The 21-year-old secured the Welsh indoor long jump championship in February with a personal best leap of 6.31 meters. Two weeks later, she improved her all-time record with a jump of 6.39 meters.

Currently, her focus has shifted back to the hockey pitch with the Wales team.

"It's something I've really enjoyed," she told Wales. "I've always wanted to play for Wales, it's definitely always been my dream to represent Wales at some sort of sport. So to get there with hockey has been great."

The women's team faces a challenging pool with matches against Scotland, Uruguay, and India. Should Wales qualify, it would mark their first World Cup appearance since 1983.

"It would be a dream for all of us to go out there and prove to everyone we can do it and get into a World Cup," added Hughes.

Wales teams eye Hockey World Cup qualifiers

Following their EuroHockey Championship II victory, Wales now prepares for the World Cup qualifiers.

Having represented Wales at the Junior World Cup in December 2025, Hughes hopes her prior experiences will benefit her performance.

The team entered the 24-team tournament ranked 20th globally but exceeded expectations by finishing 14th.

"It felt we were part of something special," said Hughes. "When I was playing my hockey in Chile, I was having the best time. I was relaxed and enjoying what I was doing, and that made it so much easier for me to put out big saves, and make big performances when it mattered."

An inspired performance against South Africa saw Hughes keep a clean sheet and earn player of the match honors.

"I felt like everything I'd worked for was finally being seen by everyone and it was great to work hard for the team and keep a clean sheet for them," added Hughes.

Combining sporting talents

Hughes acknowledges she has "always been sporty" and that her school environment allowed her to pursue multiple interests.

"I stopped doing gymnastics when I was 12 or 13 just because I had lots and lots of injuries and I was always quick, so I got into [athletics]," she explained. "I took up sports at school so we did hockey and netball. I was about 14 or 15 when they were like 'We don't have a goalkeeper, do you want to go in goal?' Being competitive, I didn't want my team to lose, so kind of hopped in there. I've been doing athletics since I was about 11 but it was heptathlon for a little while, then I specialised into long jump when I was 14, so similar timeframes."

Hughes credits her long jump coach, Phil Warwicker, for his patience with her dual-sport ambitions.

"Long jump has always kind of taken a back seat but my coach has been so supportive, so great at letting me have the time off to complete both," said Hughes. "We're finally seeing the rewards and I can do both. After last year, the British Universities and Colleges Sport [BUCS] bronze and medalling at a couple of championships, it has proven to me I can definitely compete at both."

At February's Welsh Indoor Championships, her fourth-round jump secured the senior title.

"I've dreamed of being Welsh champion so to do it at home in my home training track at the NIAC [National Indoor Athletics Centre] was great," she said. "I knew the big jumps were coming in training, it was just a point of executing them, and making sure I went out and performed to my best. I've been second at the junior champs more times than I can remember and once at the seniors so to finally get gold meant a lot to me."

If the time comes when Hughes must choose between sports, she is clear on her decision-making process.