Georgina Hermitage

Last updated

Georgina Hermitage
MBE
Georgina Hermitage 100m finalist (2k) (cropped).jpg
Personal information
NationalityFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Born (1989-03-28) 28 March 1989 (age 35)
Guildford, England
Sport
CountryGreat Britain
SportAthletics
Event(s)T37 sprint, middle distance
ClubGuildford & Godalming AC
Turned pro2014
Coached byPaula Dunn (national)
Paul MacGregor (club)
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking1st – 400m (T37)
Personal best(s)100m: 13.79s
200m: 28.48s
400m: 1:02.01
Medal record
Women's para-athletics
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Paralympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio 100m – T37
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio 400m – T37
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2016 Rio 4 × 100 m – T35-38
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Doha 400m – T37
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Doha 4x100m relay – T35-38
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 London 100m – T37
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 London 400m – T37
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2015 Doha 100m – T37
European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Grosseto 100m – T37
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Grosseto 200m – T37
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Grosseto 400m – T38
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Grosseto 100m – T35-38

Georgina Hermitage, MBE (born 28 March 1989) is a British former parasport athlete competing in T37 sprint events. [1] In 2015, she qualified for the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, selected for the T37 100m and 200m. She took the gold in the 400m sprint, setting a new world record. [2] [3]

Contents

Personal history

Hermitage was born in Guildford, England in 1989. [4] She has cerebral palsy which mainly affects the left side of her body. [1] She was educated at George Abbot School in her home town. [4] In 2012 Hermitage gave birth to her first child. [5]

Sporting career

Hermitage took up athletics as a school girl and joined Guildford & Godalming Athletics Club. At the age of 14, frustrated by her lack of progress compared to her peers, she was approached by coach Hazel Childs who suggested she switch to parasports. [4] Hermitage took the advice badly and quit athletics in protest, though she later admitted regretting this decision. [4]

In 2012, following the London Paralympics and inspired to leave a legacy to her newborn daughter, Hermitage decided to become classified as a parasport athlete. [3] [4] She was classified as a T37 competitor and in 2013 she entered her first meets as a disability runner. [2] She intended to compete throughout 2014, but a stress fracture to her foot saw her miss the majority of that year's competition including the 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea. [6]

In February 2015, Hermitage made her international debut when she travelled to Dubai to take part in the Fazaa International, the first IPC Grand Prix of the year. At the meet she ran 14.22 to set a new personal best in the 100m sprint, winning gold in the process. [7] In June that year Hermitage represented Great Britain again when she competed at the Berlin IPC Grand Prix. There she entered the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints. She won all three events, posting personal bests in the 100m (13.80s) and 200m (28.48s) and beating Lisa McIntosh's 15-year-old record in the T37 400m sprint with a time of 1:02.70. [2] [6] [8] Just over a month later Hermitage entered her third Grand Prix of the year, held at the Olympic Park in London. There she improved on her record in the 400m winning the race in 1:02.48. [2] [9]

At the end of 2015 Hermitage represented Great Britain at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha. There she entered the T37 100m and 400m sprints. In the heats for the 100m she recorded a personal best of 13.79, finishing second to teammate Kadeena Cox who set a new world record. [10] In the finals the result was the same, Hermitage came second to Cox to win silver, her first major international medal. [11] [12] Three days later Hermitage competed in her favoured 400m event. Her time of 1:02.01 was an improvement of her own world record, beating the World Champion, France's Mandy Francois-Elie, into second place. [13]

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Hermitage won the T37 100m final in a time of 13.13 to take the gold medal. [14] She also won gold in the T37 400m [15] and silver in the T35-38 4 × 100 m relay. [16]

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to athletics. [17]

Hermitage retired in early 2020. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evgenia Trushnikova</span> Russian Paralympic athlete

Evgenia Trushnikova is a Paralympian athlete from Russia competing mainly in category T37 sprint events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Breen</span> Welsh Paralympic athlete

Olivia Breen is a Welsh Paralympian athlete, who competes for Wales and Great Britain mainly in T38 sprint and F38 long jump events. She qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics and was selected for the T38 100m and 200m sprint and was also part of the T35-38 women's relay team. She has also represented Wales at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games winning gold in the F38 Long Jump in 2018 and gold in the T37/38 100m in 2022.

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.

Bethany "Bethy" Woodward is a former British Paralympic athlete who competed in sprint events in T37 events. She competed at the highest level of her sport, representing England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and Great Britain in the IPC Athletic World Championships and the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 IPC Athletics World Championships</span> Paralympic track and field event

The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships was the biggest track and field competition for athletes with a disability since the 2012 Summer Paralympics. It was held in Lyon, France, and lasted from 20 to 28 July. Around 1,100 athletes competed, from 94 different countries. The event was held in the Stade du Rhône located at the Parc de Parilly in Vénissieux, in Lyon Metropolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandy François-Elie</span> French Paralympic athlete (born 1989)

Mandy François-Élie is a French Paralympian athlete competing in the category T37. François-Élie won the T37 100m sprint at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games at London and followed this with both the 100m and 200m titles at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon.

Georgina Oliver is a parasport track and field athlete from England competing in T54 sprint events. In 2013, she qualified for the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, selected for the T54 100 m and 200 m, taking bronze in the former. Oliver has spina bifida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Pardy</span> Australian Paralympic athlete

Ella Azura Pardy is an Australian Paralympic athlete who competes in the T38 100m, 200m and long jump. She represented Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in long jump and the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in athletics where she won a bronze medal and the 2020 Summer Paralympics. She has been selected for the 2024 Paris Paralympics - her third Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Svetlana Sergeeva</span> Russian Paralympic athlete

Svetlana Sergeeva in Kargopol, Arkhangelsk Oblast is a Paralympian athlete from Russia, competing mainly in category T37 throwing and sprint events. She competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China and the 2012 Games in London. At the London Games she won a track gold as part of the sprint relay and has also achieved success as an individual athlete at both World and European events.

Andrey Vdovin is a Russian parasport athlete competing mainly in category T37 sprint and middle-distance events. A triple gold medal winner at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, Vdovin also set three world records in his class between 2013 and 2014.

Maria Lyle is a retired para-athlete from Scotland who competed mainly in T35 sprint events. At the age of 14 she set a world record in the 200m sprint, a record she has broken on several occasions. In 2014, she qualified for the IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea and won gold in both the 100m and 200m T35.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kadeena Cox</span> British paralympic athlete (born 1991)

Kadeena Cox is a parasport athlete competing in T38 para-athletics sprint events and C4 para-cycling and British television presenter. She was part of the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships and the 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, in which she won world titles in the T37 100m and C4 500m time trial respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isis Holt</span> Australian Paralympic athlete

Isis Holt is an Australian Paralympic athlete competing in T35 sprint events. She is affected by the condition cerebral palsy. Holt won gold medals in the 100 m and 200 m at the 2015 and 2017 World Para Athletics Championships. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she won two silver medals and a bronze medal and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, two silver medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brianna Coop</span> Australian Paralympic athlete

Brianna Coop is a Paralympic athlete from Australia competing in T35 sprint events. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in athletics.

Omar Monterola is a Paralympian athlete from Venezuela competing in category T37 sprinting events. Monterola qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics in the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints. He qualified for the finals of all three, winning the bronze medal in the 200m event.

Laura Sugar is a British Paralympic athlete who competes in sprint events under the T44 classification. Before taking up athletics Sugar represented Wales at field hockey captaining the under-20s team. She has now switched to canoeing.

Ahmad Almutairi is a Kuwaiti para-sport athlete who competes as a T33 classification track and field athlete and as a wheelchair basketball player, both at national level. Despite the fact that Almutairi held the Paralympic world record for his classification in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m events, major world titles eluded him due to the fact that his classification was under-represented and he was forced to compete against less severely disabled athletes in the T44 class. He eventually won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.

Isaac Towers is a Paralympian athlete from England competing in category T34 sprint and middle-distance events. Towers won gold and became the European champion in the 800m (T34) event in 2016, qualifying for the Summer Paralympics in Rio.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hermitage, Georgina". paralympic.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Georgina Hermitage". thepowerof10.info. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 Hudson, Elizabeth (25 October 2014). "IPC World Athletics: Georgina Hermitage wins 400m gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Dyke, Chris (24 June 2015). "World record set at Paralympic Games smashed by 400m runner Georgina Hermitage". getsurrey.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Georgie Hermitage". sportsaid.org.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 "World record holder Hermitage now the one to watch". paralympic.org. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "World records galore at IPC Grand Prix in Dubai". britishathletics.org.uk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Hermitage a record breaker in Berlin". britishathletics.org.uk. 21 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Team GB heroes return to Stratford for Sainsbury's Anniversary Games". newhamrecorder.co.uk. 27 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Results – Women's 100m T37 Round 1 Heat 2/2". IPC . Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Georgina Hermitage". IPC . Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  12. ↑ Hudson, Elizabeth (22 October 2015). "IPC World Athletics: Hannah Cockroft wins gold in Doha". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Results – Women's 400m T37 Final". IPC . 25 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  14. ↑ BBC. "SPORT Paralympics 2016". BBC News. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Women's 400m - T37 - Final". Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Athletics - Women's 4x100m - T35-38" (PDF). paralympic.org. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  17. ↑ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N19.
  18. ↑ "British ace Para athlete Georgie Hermitage announces retirement". World Para Athletics. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
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.