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Athlete Profiles

Sir Steve Redgrave

                            

Sir Steve Redgrave of Great Britain is the only rower to earn gold medals in five consecutive Olympics.
Redgrave began his streak at the 1984 Los Angeles Games as a member of the British coxed fours crew.
In Seoul in 1988, Redgrave teamed with Andrew Holmes and Patrick Sweeney to win the coxless pairs. Between Olympics, Redgrave found a new partner, Matthew Pinsent, and the pair won the coxless pairs at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
In 1996, in their 100th race together, Redgrave and Pinsent successfully defended their title.
At the age of 38, Redgrave returned to the Olympics in 2000 and earned a fifth gold medal, this time as a member of the British coxless fours team.
Between 1986 and 1999, during every year in which a world championships was held, Redgrave won at least one medal, including nine golds.

Dame Kelly Holmes

  

Although she showed early promise as a runner, Kelly Holmes gave up the sport to join the army at the age of 18 and become British army judo champion. She returned to competitive athletics after watching the 1992 Olympics on television. Only three years later, she earned two medals at the 1995 world championships, a bronze in the 800m and a silver in the 1,500m.
But Holmes' career was plagued by injuries.
Barely recovered from a stress fracture, she placed only fourth in the 800m at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In 2000, a ruptured calf left her only six weeks to train for the Sydney Games. Still, she managed to win a bronze medal in the 800m and placed seventh in the 1,500m.
Finally, in 2004, she entered the Olympics in perfect shape. In the final of the 800m, Holmes moved past defending champion Maria Mutola coming out of the last turn and then held off the late surges of Hasna Benhassi and Jolanda Ceplak. The finish was so close that Holmes did not know that she had won; but she did by five hundredths of a second.
Five nights later, she took to the track in the final of the 1,500m. Seventh with a lap to go and fifth a half lap from the finish, Holmes burst into the lead around the final turn and earned her second gold medal. At 34, she is the oldest woman to win either the 800m or the 1,500m, much less both of them.
(Pictures & text adapted from www.olympic.org)
Beth Tweddle
                      

When she was 7 an energetic Beth was entered into a gymnastics programme at their local club, Crewe and Nantwhich. At first gymnastics was just a fun past time for Beth but her coaches, Charlie Oaks and Fergus Beedham, soon recognised potential in Beth and she began training more seriously. Between 1994 & 1996 Beth was a member of the British junior national team and in 1997 she competed in her first British Espoir Championships.

Shortly after she moved to City of Liverpool Gymnastics club where she remains today. Beth is coached by 1984 Olympic gymnast Amanda Kirby (nee Harrison) and together the pair have achieved phenomenal results. Beth has represented Great Britain on numerous occasions and is the most successful gymnast ever from Great Britain.

She has been European and World Champion on her best event, the asymmetric bars, and has broken many records. She was an Olympian in 2004 and has her sights set firmly on Beijing 2008. In 2009 London will host the World Championships, which Beth has expressed an interest in. She graduated from Liverpool John Moores University in June 2007 with a 2:1 in Sports Science and is currently balancing training and studying sports massage at college.

(Picture & text taken from http://bethtweddle.com)

Craig Pickering

                                     (http://cache.daylife.com)

 

 

Craig Pickering (born 16 October 1986, Crawley) is a British sprinter, currently based at the Marshall Milton Keynes Athletics Club.  He had success as a youth athlete, winning the bronze medal in the 100m at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics.

He first came into the public eye in June 2005, when he beat Darren Campbell in the 100m at a meet in Bedford. During 2007, he has found success on the indoor circuit, winning the 60m event at the European Indoor Trials and UK Championships in Sheffield in early February, following this with a second place finish in the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham in the same event, behind his Bath team-mate Jason Gardner. His indoor form prompted The Scotsman to hint in January 2007 that Pickering could be a Gold medal prospect for the London Olympics.More recently, he won the silver medal, again in the 60m event, at the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham. He is currently regarded as a hot contender for the British number one spot, having soundly beaten Mark Lewis-Francis among others at the Glasgow Norwich Union Grand Prix held on 3rd June 2007. Despite dismal rainy conditions, Pickering equalled his personal best of 10.22 sec.

On 23rd June 2007 he achieved a new personal best of 10.15 sec to win the men’s 100m at the 2007 European Cup in Munich. He also participated to the British Relay 4x100 win, with 38.30 (World Leading Time of 2007).  Pickering soon followed this up with a new personal best (10.14) and a silver medal at the 2007 European Under 23 Championships (Debrecen, Hungary), behind compatriot Simeon Williamson.

At the 2007 UK Championships and World Trials, Pickering finished second (by 0.01) behind Marlon Devonish, and was then selected to compete at the World Championships, in the 100 m. He also was part of the 4x100m relay team which won the bronze medal.

He opened his 2008 season with a win at the Norwich Union international match in the 60m, securing a win for Great Britain, in the international match.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Pickering)