Jenny Meadows

  • Full name Jenny Meadows
  • Birth date March 17, 1981
  • Birth place Wigan
  • Current age 43 years 2 days
  • Height 5 ft 1 in
Jenny Meadows
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After spending a number of years on the periphery of British athletics, Jenny Meadows shot to prominence at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, winning a bronze medal in the 800m.

Meadows took up athletics at the age of seven and her talent was obvious when she won the 800m in the English Schools Junior Championships in 1995. In 1998, she finished third at the AAA Junior Indoor Championships over 400m and claimed second place on her junior international debut in the English Schools Championships.

She improved dramatically in the 800m, although continued to compete over 400m throughout her career as a junior. Meadows showed her sprint capabilities by running the fastest leg for the Great Britain team at the World Junior Championships in 2000, helping the quartet claim a gold medal in the 4x400m relay.

After finishing third in the AAA Indoor 400m in 2004, Meadows decided to make the 800m her primary focus and her decision looked to be a good one as she went on to record two personal bests in 2005. Another personal best followed at the AAA Indoor Championships in 2006 and she found time to train for another 400m race, winning the Northern Counties title.

Meadows was back atop the winning rostrum in June 2008, running exceptionally to clinch her first European Cup victory over 800m. Her fine form saw her named in Great Britain's Olympic Team for Beijing but, despite setting a new PB of 1 minute 59.43 seconds in her semi-final, it wasn't enough to book a place in the final.

The 2009 World Championships were on the horizon and Meadows prepared for Berlin with an encouraging indoor season, winning the UK Championships and setting a new personal best mark in Birmingham. At the eagerly-awaited World Championships, Meadows showed she had finally arrived on the world stage with a fabulous display in the 800m final, coming from sixth place off the final bend to power down the home straight to clinch bronze.

In 2010, she broke the British 800m indoor record, formerly held by Kelly Holmes, on two occasions and won silver at the World Indoor Championships in Doha as captain of the Great Britain team. Meadows was hampered by an Achilles injury in her preparations for the European Championships but, despite not being fully fit, managed to win a bronze medal in Barcelona.

After spending a couple of months training at Club La Santa in Lanzarote, Meadows won two silver medals at the 2011 European Indoor Championships in Paris - in the 800m and 4x400m relay, but then missed out on selection for Team GB for the London 2012 Olympics.

Career high
Battling to a bronze medal in the 800m at the European Championships in Barcelona in 2010, despite being short of full fitness. She said: "It was my second year of being world-class which also showed me that winning bronze at the World Championships in 2009 wasn't a fluke."

Career low
Failing to make the 800m final at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She exited at the semi-final stage, finishing a disappointing sixth in her heat.

Quotes
"It proves you should never say never, you should always believe in yourself. If you work hard and keep the faith, good things will happen." Jenny Meadows, August 2009

"I just need to build on that consistency and squeeze a bit more out of myself so I move up to that next level where I'm a gold medal contender and not just a potential medallist." Jenny Meadows

Trivia
Meadows is a huge fan of Wigan Warriors rugby club and her favourite player is 1980s star Henderson Gill.

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Sep 2, 2011

Jenny Meadows comes home in third behind Yuliya Rusanova and Maggie Vessey in the 800m semi-finals

Aug 5, 2011

Jennifer Meadows wins the women's 800m

Jul 10, 2011

Jenny Meadows holds off her rivals to win the 800m

Mar 6, 2011

Jenny Meadows is hugged by Marilyn Okoro

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