Born Diane Dolores Edwards in Manchester, to Jamaican parents, she won the 1984 English Schools 800 metres title in 2:05.7. She emerged as one of Britain's top 800m runners as a 20-year-old in 1986, winning the AAA Championships title ahead of Lorraine Baker. She went on to win a silver medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 2:01.12, finishing second to Kirsty Wade.[5][6] A month later at the 1986 European Championships, she reached the semi-finals of the 800m, where she was eliminated in 2:00.84.
In 1987, Edwards won the UK Championship 800m title in June, ran a personal best of 1:59.30 to finish fourth at the Oslo Grand Prix on 4 July, and retained her AAAs 800m title, to earn selection for the 1987 World Championships, where she reached the semifinals and ran 1:59.34. In 1988, she earned selection for the Seoul Olympic Games, where she ran 1:59.66 in the semifinals, qualifying for the final. In the final, she finished eighth in 2:00.77. She had one of the best seasons of her career in 1989, including running 2:00.83 to finish third in the 800m at the IAAF Grand Prix Final in Monaco, behind Ana Quirot and Christine Wachtel. She was ranked number seven on the 1989 Track & Field News world merit rankings at 800m.
In January 1990, Edwards won the gold medal in the 800m at the Commonwealth Games, winning in 2:00.25.[7][8] On 14 July 1990 she broke the English record in the 800m with 1:58.65 in Oslo, a time that would remain the best of her career. The previous record was 1:58.98 by Shireen Bailey in 1987, the UK record being held by the Scottish born Welsh athlete Kirsty Wade (1:57.42). In August, Edwards reached the final at the 1990 European Championships, finishing eighth. After struggling with injury, she won her third AAAs 800m title in 1992, to earn selection for the Barcelona Olympics, where she reached the semifinals.
In 1993, now competing as Diane Modahl, she had perhaps the best season of her career, consistently running below two minutes for 800m, with her seasons best being 1:59.00 in Zurich. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, she ran 1:59.12 in the semifinals to qualify for the final. In the final, won by Maria Mutola, she finished fourth in 1:59.42. Modahl was ranked in the top ten of the Track & Field News 800m world merit rankings for the second time in 1993, again at number seven. In 1994, she won her fifth AAAs 800m title and won the 800m at the European Cup in Gateshead, edging out Patricia Djate of France. However at that years European Championships in Helsinki, she was eliminated in the semifinals, running 2:02.18.
Modahl returned to competition in 1996 and finished second behind Kelly Holmes in the 800 metres at the British Olympic trials in June, running 1:59.87. At the Atlanta Olympic Games in August, she pulled a hamstring in her heat, 50m from the finish. In 1998, she won her sixth AAAs 800m title, before going on to win the 800m bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in the world class time of 1:58.81. She competed at her fourth Olympic Games in Sydney 2000, where she was eliminated in the heats running 2:02.41. She retired in 2002.
Legal challenge against positive drug test
In 1994, following a routine drug test, Modahl was sent home from the Victoria Commonwealth Games in Canada by the British Athletics Federation and subsequently banned from competition, after the results were returned positive. Modahl challenged the IAAF's drug-testing procedures and said she intended to produce evidence at the hearing which will show ''once and for all that no doping offence has been committed".[9]
On returning to the UK, and adamant of her innocence, Diane engaged lawyers to make the case that the laboratory in Lisbon which tested her sample had major flaws in their processing. The case revealed that the laboratory had stored her urine sample on a table in the stadium in a room heated at 35°C for three days, causing serious bacterial degradation. The evidence supported Modahl's claim of innocence and she won the case. Modahl said, "I have declared my innocence, I have never taken any banned substance".[10]
The British Athletics Federation lifted Modahl's ban on 25 July 1995. On 25 March 1996 the IAAF cleared Modahl of the charges.
The High Court, Court of Appeal and the House of Lords in London, whose panels included prominent judges such as Lord Irvine and Lord Woolf also stated in their summaries that Modahl should be seen as being innocent of all charges.[11]
Ultimately, the cost financially ruined Modahl [12] and contributed to the financial collapse of the BAF in 1998,[13] which was replaced by UK Athletics.
Modahl and her husband Vicente wrote a book about their experiences, The Diane Modahl Story - Going the Distance, published in 1995. A second updated edition was released in 1996 after Modahl won her case.
Career after athletics and charity work
Diane retired from competition in 2002 but remained heavily involved in sport.
In 2010, Diane established the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF), a registered charity, alongside her husband, Vicente. DMSF brings athletics coaching opportunities to young people, particularly those living in disadvantaged areas.[14]
Modahl was Lay Adviser to the Central Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group 2014–2015, Non Executive Director Primary Care Trust (PCT) NHS Manchester 2011–2014, and was previously the Chief Ambassador for the National Charity – Street Games.[15] In 2019, she was appointed by Sports England as a member of the Talent Inclusion Advisory Group. She also became Board Trustee of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.[16]
In 2020, she was appointed by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, as the Chair of Greater Manchester’s Young Person’s Task Force, an unpaid position designed to aid the Covid-19 recovery process. This included direct engagement with young people and youth organisations as well as with colleges, training providers and business.[17]
In 2021, Commonwealth Games England appointed Modahl to the Board as a non-executive director from 1 May.[18]
Diane also contributes to Street Games;[19] an initiative that harnesses the power of sport to create positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people right across the UK, and ‘A Bed Every Night’; a scheme that supports the provision of shelter and support for people who are sleeping rough across Greater Manchester.
Honours and awards
In 2002, Diane was awarded a joint honorary degree of Doctor of Letters alongside Roger Bannister, Clive Lloyd CBE, the Rt Hon Donald McKinnon and Dr Mamphela Ramphele by the Greater Manchester Universities (Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, Salford University and UMIST) for their great contributions to the Commonwealth [20] to mark the 17th Commonwealth Games taking place in Manchester in 2002.
She is married to Vicente Modahl, a Norwegian international athletics coach and players' agent licensed by the Football Association of England, as well as a UEFA/FIFA match agent.[23]
Jennifer Brenda "Jenny" Meadows is a retired British athlete. Her main event was the 800 metres, although she previously competed also over the 400 metres. She won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships, and a silver at the 2010 World Indoor Championships. At the European Athletics Championships, Meadows took silver outdoors in 2010 and gold indoors in 2011. She also had some international success as part of the Great Britain women's 4 x 400 metres relay squad.
Kirsty Margaret Wade is a British former middle-distance runner. She is a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist representing Wales, winning the 800 metres in Brisbane 1982 and both the 800 metres and 1500 metres in Edinburgh 1986. She represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games and the 1992 Olympic Games.
Christina Tracy Boxer-Cahill is a retired female middle distance athlete from England. She represented Great Britain at three Olympic Games, in Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 and trained at Aldershot, Farnham & District AC. In Seoul, she finished fourth in the 1500 metres final. She also won a gold medal in the 1500 m at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. In 1979, she became the first British woman in history to run the 800 metres in under two-minutes.
Lynsey Sharp is a former Scottish track and field athlete who competed in the 800 metres. She is the 2012 European champion and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Her personal best is 1:57.69, the seventh fastest time over 800m by a British woman, set in the final of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Eunice Jepkoech Sum is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. She was the 2013 World champion and won the bronze medal in 2015. Sum took a silver and a gold at the 2012 and 2014 African Championships in Athletics respectively. She was also 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and a three-time successive Diamond League winner in 2013–15.
Lorraine Baker-Strain is an English former middle-distance runner who competed in the 800 metres. She represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 1984 and Barcelona 1992. In Los Angeles, she finished fifth in the final. She also won bronze medals at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and the 1990 European Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
Lesley-Ann Skeete is a female English former track and field athlete who competed in the 100 metres hurdles. She represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. She also won a bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Shireen Bailey is an English former middle distance runner who competed in the 800 metres and the 1500 metres. She represented Great Britain in both events at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. In 1983, she became only the second British woman in history to run the 800 metres in under two minutes. She is also a former English national record holder at the distance.
Christine Benning is an English former middle-distance runner who competed mainly in the 1500 metres and the 3000 metres. In the 1500 m, she represented Great Britain at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, finishing fifth in the final. She won a silver medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton. She also broke the UK record in 1979, with 4:01.53. As of 2022, she still ranks in the UK all-time top ten (outdoors) for the mile.
Adelle Tracey is a middle-distance runner. Born in the United States, she competes for Jamaica since 2022, having previously represented Great Britain, where she grew up. Tracey competes primarily in the 800 metres. She placed fourth in the event at the 2018 European Athletics Championships, but claimed a bronze in the North American equivalent, the 2022 NACAC Championships representing her new country, Jamaica. The following day, Tracey won silver for Jamaica in the 1500 metres event in the same championships.
Ann Margaret Griffiths is a retired English athlete who competed in middle-distance events. In the 800 meters, she won a silver medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and finished seventh in the final at the 1991 World Championships, before going on to represent Great Britain in the 1500 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Halimah Nakaayi is a Ugandan middle-distance runner who specialises in the 800 metres. She is the 2019 World Champion at the event and won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. Nakaayi is the current Ugandan record holder for the 800 m both outdoors and indoors, and also for the 1000 metres.
Anne Purvis is a Scottish former athlete who specialised in the 800 metres. She won a silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and finished fourth in the 800m final at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She also won the AAAs Championship title in 1980 and 1981, and the UK Championships title in 1982 and 1986.
Elizabeth Ann "Liz" Barnes is an English former middle-distance runner. She represented Great Britain in the women's 800 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and won a bronze medal in the 800m at the 1980 European Indoor Championships.
Paula Tracey Fryer is an English former middle-distance runner. She represented Great Britain in the women's 800 metres at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. She also won the UK Championships and AAA Championships 800m titles in 1991 and competed at the 1991 World Championships.
Helen Daniel is an English former athlete who competed mainly in the 800 metres. She won the 800m title at the 1990 UK Championships, and finished third at the AAA Championships in 1986, 1987 and 1988. Her 800m lifetime best of 2:01.86 was set on 10 July 1987 in London.
Dawn Suzanne Gandy is an English former athlete who competed mainly in the 800 metres. She represented England at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and won four AAA Indoor Championships titles. She also finished second at the 1989 UK Championships and 1994 AAA Championships. Her 800m best of 2:01.87 was set in June 1988. Her twin sister, Simone Laidlow, is also a former international athlete.
Beverley Hartigan is a female English former middle and long-distance runner. She won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, twice won the AAA Championships 1500 m title (1987/89) and twice won the UK Championship 1500 m title (1988/92). She went on to finish sixth in the marathon at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Keely Nicole Hodgkinson is an English middle-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 800 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Phoebe Gill is a British track and field athlete who competes as a middle-distance runner. In 2023, she became the British under-17 record holder over both 800 metres and 1500 metres. On 30th June 2024 she won the British 800 metres title at the national championships. Phoebe also claimed the European Under-18 record holder for 800 metres in 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
