Urged to join the local athletics club by her teachers when she was 11, Lisa Dobriskey made waves as a junior, becoming the fastest British under-17 girl at 800m and the third fastest at 1500m in 2000.

Educated at Loughborough University, Dobriskey announced herself as a top athlete when she won Commonwealth gold in 2006 - shaving nearly two seconds off her personal best to secure her victory. Dobriskey was fifth entering the finishing straight but put in a late surge to storm past Sarah Jamieson and Hayley Tullett for the gold medal, crossing the line in 4:06.21 minutes.

After her triumph, the Kent runner said: "I just wanted to make the final. I knew I had a chance to do well but never in a million years thought I'd win the gold."

Dobriskey headed into the 2008 Beijing Olympics hopeful of landing another medal. However, despite a personal best of 4:02.10 min, she got her tactics wrong and ended up in fourth place.

She said: "I really thought I could do it today. It's very disheartening. I really wanted that medal so much. At London 2012 I'm going to have some unfinished business."

After missing out on a medal in Beijing, Dobriskey threw herself back into training only to pick up a stress fracture in her back six weeks into her punishing regime. However, her rehabilitation was complete when she finished third at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Considering the extent of her injury problems, picking up a bronze was a triumph in itself. The smile on Dobriskey's face got even bigger, however, when her medal was upgraded to silver after winner Natalia Rodriguez was disqualified for pushing another competitor.

There was disappointment in 2010, with Dobriskey failing to get on the rostrum at the European Championships in Barcelona.

To take her to the top, the Olympic hopeful changed her coach at the start of 2011, drafting in her husband, Ricki Soos, a former 800m runner who has also competed at the highest level.

With high hopes of taking care of the "unfinished business" from Beijing 2008, Dobriskey's London 2012 dream eventually ended in disappointment however when she came home 10th in a slow 1500m final.

Career high
Winning gold in the women's 1500m at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Career low
Missing out on a bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2010 European Championships. She was reduced to tears after finishing fourth.

Quotes
"The 1500m is such a tactical event, it's not necessarily about being in the best physical shape but about making the right decisions. For that you need to sharpen your mind." Lisa Dobriskey

"It is my life. Running has become my life. It's amazing to think it's all because of a school sports day." Lisa Dobriskey.

Trivia
Lisa's favourite band is Florence and the Machine. She says: "Rabbit Heart is my favourite track from the album and I always listen to it before a race. It's so uplifting."