Emily Freeman

Last updated

Emily Freeman at the 2008 Summer Olympics Emily Freeman 2008.jpg
Emily Freeman at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Emily Kaye Freeman (born 24 November 1980) is a retired British athlete from West Yorkshire, England, personal trainer and co-founder of training and mindset company Totally Runable.

Contents

Freeman competed both nationally and internationally between 2006 and her retirement from athletics in 2014. She represented England and Team GB in the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships, specialising in 100m, 200m sprints and 4 × 100 m relay. Freeman worked for several years as a personal trainer with Pro Fit Personal Training at Total Fitness Gym in Wakefield. She co-founded Totally Runable after her retirement and now works full-time for that social enterprise company in and with schools, pupils, staff and parents, with the aim of inspiring and empowering others to be the people they dream of being.

Early life and education

Freeman was born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the daughter of Paul David Freeman, a GP and Susan Elizabeth Freeman, a Nurse. She has 1 younger sister, Amy Jane Freeman-Hughes. Growing up in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, Freeman attended Primary School in Battyeford before Heckmondwike Grammar School, where she completed her GCSEs. From 1997 to 1999 she attended Greenhead College to take A-Levels in PE, Maths and Chemistry.

Freeman began her degree at the University of Birmingham in 1999, where she lived until 2001. Following the unexpected death of her father in 2000, she transferred to UCL to complete a Masters in Civil Engineering (MEng). She graduated from UCL with a 2:1 in 2004.

Athletics career

Childhood

Freeman began her athletics career aged 10 at Spenborough AC in Liversedge, West Yorkshire, England. She was taken to her local track by her grandparents after showing promise in races at school. She continued to train with Spenborough AC and later with Mike Williams at Beckett's Park Athletics Centre and Wakefield District Harriers & AC. She continues to hold Wakefield club records for all outdoor sprint distances.

English Schools Athletics Championships

Emily first competed at the English Schools Athletics Championships in Telford when she was aged 13. The following year she failed to qualify for the competition in Nottingham and watched from the stands. In 1996 she made a return, finishing 6th in the 200m. She went on to compete in the 200m in Sheffield in 1997 (finishing 2nd) and 1998 (finishing 5th) before moving to the 100m at Bury St Edmonds in 1999, to win the competition in a time of 12.34.

Junior career

Freeman's first domestic success came in 1997, aged 16, when she won the U17 200m at the AAA Junior Indoor Championships in a time of 24.19, a then all time UK record. She went on to win the 100m at the AAA U20 Championships in 1999 before competing at the 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships in Riga, Latvia.

Senior career

Moving up to Senior level, Freeman came 2nd in the 200m at the 2001 AAA Indoor Championships. 2002 then saw victory at the BUSA Athletics Championships in the 100m and 200m, along with 2nd place in the 60m at the BUSA Indoor Championships and 200m 3rd place at the AAA Championships. It also saw another 1st place in the AAA U23 Championships along with 3rd place in the English Commonwealth Games Trials 200m, followed by competing for England in the 200m in Manchester at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

2003 and 2004 were frustrating for Freeman, with Achilles problems ruling her out of competing. These were managed in 2005 to allow her to compete, finishing 8th in the World University Games 100m in Izmir, Turkey and competing in the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Championships in Helsinki. 2006 saw a European Silver Medal in the 4 × 100 m relay, 200m 2nd place in the AAA Championships and 3rd place in the 60m at the AAA Indoor Championships.

In 2007 Freeman finished 2nd in the Norwich Union World Championship Trials 200m, qualifying to compete in the World Championships in 2007 in Osaka, Japan in the 200m. Disappointment followed however when a false start resulted in disqualification from her first individual 200m race in a World Championships. At the same competition she did however finish 4th as part of the 4 × 100 m relay team, narrowly missing out on a Bronze Medal by only 0.02 seconds.

The following year she won the 200m British Olympic Trials and competed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, finishing 7th in the 200m semi-final. She also competed as part of the 4 x 100 relay team, reaching the final with a qualifying time which would have earned an Olympic Bronze Medal had the team finished the race. In an event which saw 4 DNFs and 4 DQs over the heats and finals, Team GB failed to transfer the baton from the 2nd to the 3rd leg of the race, ending in a DNF, along with Jamaica, to add to Poland's disqualification from the final. In 2008 Freeman was ranked UK number 1 in the 200m, competing (in addition to the Olympics) in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, as well as all over the UK.

2009 was even better for Freeman, competing in Germany, Portugal, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and all over the UK. She came 1st in the 200m GB Aviva World Championship Trials and went on to reach a World Final, finishing 7th in the 200m and running a PB in the semi-final, a time of 22.64. The same year she won Gold at the European Team Championships 100m in a time of 11.42, the first British woman to win the event. She was ranked UK number 1 in both 100m and 200m, having retained her 200m UK National title winning by the largest margin in the race's history. 2010 was a frustrating year, with recurring Achilles issues limiting how well Freeman could capitalise on her successes of 2009. She continued to compete as much as possible, travelling to Spain, Norway and New York to do so, most notably finishing with a 5th place over 200m at the European Team Championships in Bergen and 5th place semi-final finish in the 200m at the European Championships in Barcelona.

Continuing Achilles problems ruled Freeman out of competition in 2011, 2012 and 2013, including what would have been a home Olympic Games in London in 2012.

Following recovery from injury Freeman switched to the 400m for the last season of her athletic career. She returned to fitness winning the 2014 Yorkshire Championships in a time of 55.31, retiring after that event, aged 33, to pursue a career outside athletics.

Throughout her career Freeman was coached by Brian Hall. Freeman received lottery funding from 2007 until December 2010 and was a full-time athlete until 2012.

Athlete Committees

Since 2010 Freeman has been an athlete representative on the UK Anti-Doping Athlete Committee, whose role on behalf of UKAD is to engage with athletes to ensure that their views are represented and to collect feedback on UKAD programmes.

Between November 2010 and November 2012 Freeman was an Athlete Committee Member for the British Olympic Association.

Since retirement

Since retirement Freeman has continued to run longer distances for fun. She regularly runs at Dewsbury, Nostell Priory, Concord, Wakefield Thornes and Rother Valley parkruns. In October 2015 she ran the Yorkshire Marathon, finishing in a time of 4 hours 22 minutes 58 seconds, to fundraise for Brainkind.

Personal bests

EventPB
60m7.42i
100m11.33
200m22.64
300m38.04
400m53.31
5k24.02
parkrun22.18
10k50.41
Marathon4.22.58

Personal life

In 2004 Freeman moved from London back to Yorkshire, living in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham. She began working for JNP Group as Graduate Engineer in 2004, and worked there until October 2007. Whilst working for JNP Group she met her now husband Philip Cantrell, whom she married in December 2009.

Business

Freeman qualified as a Personal Trainer in late 2012 and began working at Total Fitness in Wakefield with Pro Fit Personal Training the same year. She was a Pro Fit Level 5 Personal Trainer until January 2017.

Following retirement in 2014, Freeman co-founded Totally Runable, a coaching and mindset training company. Totally Runable began working with adult beginner and challenge runners, companies and charities. Since February 2016 Totally Runable has been working with schools and children, particularly girls, with the aim of improving confidence and self-esteem, both in and out of sport.

Related Research Articles

Kathryn Jane Cook is a former elite athlete, specialising in sprint and sprint relays. She is one of the most successful female sprinters in British athletics history. She is three-times an Olympic bronze medallist, including at 400 metres in Los Angeles 1984. Her other individual achievements include winning the 200m at the 1981 Universiade, finishing second in the 100m at the 1981 World Cup, and winning a bronze medal in the 200m at the 1983 World Championships. She is also three-times a winner of the British Athletics Writers' Association Female Athlete of the Year Award (1980–82).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Malcolm</span> Welsh sprinter (born 1979)

Christian Sean Malcolm is a retired Welsh track and field athlete who specialised in the 200 metres. In 2020 he was appointed Head Coach of the British Athletics Olympic Programme.

Catherine Ann Murphy is a Welsh former athlete who competed mainly in the 200 metres and 400 metres. She finished fourth in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics, fourth in the 400 metres at the 2003 World Indoor Championships, and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2005 European Indoor Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Connaughton</span> Canadian sprinter (born 1985)

Jared Connaughton is a Canadian former track athlete who specialized in the 100m and 200m. He is now a physical education cross country, and track and field coach at Fort Worth Country Day in Fort Worth, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clova Court</span> English athlete

Clova E. Court is a retired English athlete, who competed mainly in the heptathlon and the 100 metres hurdles. She represented Great Britain in the heptathlon at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. She won a record five AAA Championships heptathlon tiles, and also won the 1994 AAAs Championship 100 metres hurdles title, defeating Sally Gunnell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanette Kwakye</span> British sprinter (born 1983)

Jeanette Boahemaa Kwakye is a British broadcaster and retired sprinter.

Linsey Macdonald is a former Scottish sprinter from Dunfermline, Fife, who specialised in the 400 metres. She was nicknamed "The Fife Flyer" during her career. Inspired by competitors like Mary Peters she started in athletics at the age of 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodie Williams</span> British sprinter

Jodie Alicia Williams is a retired British sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres, having begun her career concentrating on 100 and 200 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dafne Schippers</span> Dutch track and field athlete

Dafne Schippers is a Dutch retired track and field athlete who competed in sprinting and the combined events. She holds the European record in the 200 metres with a time of 21.63 seconds, making her the sixth-fastest woman of all time at this distance. She also holds the Dutch records in the 100 metres and long jump, and shares the Dutch records in the 60 metres indoor and 4 × 100 metres relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kilty</span> British sprinter (born 1989)

Richard Kilty is a British sprinter who competes both Indoor and Outdoor across all the sprint events including 60 metres, 100 metres, 150 metres, and 200 metres. An exceptional starter, and considered a specialist in both 60 metres and relays, he is a former World and double European Champion indoors at 60 metres, and also a silver medalist in the World Athletics Championships, as well as a European and Commonwealth champion in the 4 x 100 metre relay for Great Britain and England respectively. Kilty is one of the few British athletes to have won medals at every major championships, indoors and out, including the World Relays.

Kim Annette Robertson is a New Zealand former track and field sprinter. She represented New Zealand at three Commonwealth Games, one World Indoor Championship, three IAAF World Cups and three Pacific Conference Games. She was also selected in the 1980 Moscow Olympic team in the 400 meters but did not compete due to the NZ Government boycotting the event.

Jenny McLoughlin is a British Paralympian track and field athlete competing mainly in T37 sprint events. She has represented Great Britain in the 2008 Summer Paralympics and in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. After moving to Wales at the age of 14, she became eligible to join the Wales team for the Commonwealth Games, winning silver in the T37 sprint in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dina Asher-Smith</span> British sprinter (born 1995)

Geraldina Rachel Asher-Smith is a British sprinter internationally active since 2011. In 2019 she was the first British woman to win a World title in a sprint event.

Paula Dunn, is an English former sprinter who competed in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay. She represented Great Britain in all three events at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. She is a five-time Commonwealth Games medallist, including winning silver (1986) and bronze (1994) in the 100 metres. During the 1990s, she competed as Paula Thomas. Her personal bests of 11.15 secs in the 100 metres and 22.69 secs in the 200 metres, were the fastest times run by a British female sprinter during the 1990s.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Thompson-Herah</span> Jamaican sprinter (born 1992)

Elaine Sandra-Lee Thompson-Herah is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champion, the fastest woman alive in the 100 m, and the third fastest ever in the 200 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryll Neita</span> British sprinter (born 1996)

Daryll Saskia Neita is a British sprinter. She won a silver medal in the 200 metres at the 2024 European Championships along with bronze in the 100 metres at the 2022 European Championships, 2022 Commonwealth Games and in the 60 metres at the 2023 European Indoor Championships. She has also won several medals as part of Great Britain 4 × 100 m relay teams, including an Olympic silver medal in 2024 and bronze medals in 2016 and 2021, World Championships silver medals in 2017 and 2019 and European gold in 2018.

Sharon Danville was a British sprinter and hurdler. She represented Great Britain at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She won a bronze medal in the 100 metres hurdles at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, while in the 4 x 100 metres relay, she won a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and a silver medal at the 1978 European Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher O'Donnell (athlete)</span> Irish sprinter (born 1998)

Christopher O'Donnell is an Irish track and field athlete competing in sprinting events. He was part of the Irish Mixed 4x400m team who won a gold medal at the 2024 European Athletics Championships. He represented Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the Mixed 4 × 400 m relay, where he was part of the first ever Irish team to run in an Olympic final, and competed in the same event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He was also part of the team who reached the final of the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. He is the current Irish U20 record holder in the 400m, his personal best of 45.26 seconds sits joint-2nd on the Irish all-time list and he is a 5-time National 400m champion.

Georgia Hulls is a New Zealand sprinter with multiple national and Oceania titles who has represented her country at the World Athletics Championships.

References