Barbara Parker (athlete)

Barbara Parker

Barbara Parker in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2012 Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	British (English)
Born	8 November 1982 Watford, England
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	54 kg (119 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	steeplechase
Club	City of Norwich AC Florida State Seminoles

Barbara Angela Parker (born 8 November 1982) is an English former track and field athlete who competed for Great Britain. She participated in two Olympic Games ^[1] and is the former UK record holder in the 3000 metres steeplechase.

Biography

Parker was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England but lived in Alabama. ^[2] She studied a BTEC National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science at the College of West Anglia from 1999 to 2001. ^[3]

Parker finished second behind Tara Krzywicki in the 2000m steeplechase event at the 2003 AAA Championships. ^{[4] [5]}

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing,, Parker represented Great Britain in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She was eliminated in the heats, running 9:51.93. She reached the final of the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu after running 9:38.12 in her heat. In the final, she finished 14th with 9:56.66. ^[6]

Parker became the British steeplechase champion after winning the 2010 British Athletics Championships. ^[7]

In June 2012, Parker broke the UK record in the 3000 m steeplechase with 9:24.24, which was unsurpassed until 2021. She competed at the London 2012 Olympic Games and was eliminated in the heats of both the 3000 m steeplechase and 5000 metres. In the 3000 m steeplechase, she ran 9:32.07, while in the 5000 m, she ran a personal best of 15.12.81. ^[6]

References

1. "Barbara Parker". Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
2. "Barbara Parker". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
3. "Hall of Fame". College of West Anglia. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
4. "Athletics" . Aberdeen Press and Journal. 28 July 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
6. "Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
7. "AAA Championships (women)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 6 April 2025.