James Dasaolu

Last updated

James Dasaolu
James Dasaolu Goteborg 2013.jpg
James Dasaolu after his silver medal at Göteborg 2013.
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1987-09-05) 5 September 1987 (age 36)
London, England
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in) [1]
Weight87 kg (192 lb)
Sport
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
SportAthletics
Event(s) 100 metres
4×100m relay
Coached bySteve Fudge [2]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100 m: 9.91 (Birmingham 2013)
60 m: 6.47 (Birmingham 2014)
Medal record
European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Zürich 100 m
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Amsterdam 4 x 100 m
European Indoor Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2013 Gothenburg 60 m
Representing Flag of Europe.svg Europe
Continental Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Marrakech 100 m

James Dasaolu (born 5 September 1987) is a retired British track and field athlete who specialised in the 100 metres. He was the 2014 European champion over the distance.

Contents

In July 2013, he became the second fastest Briton of all time after running a 100 m time of 9.91 seconds in the British Championships. [3] In 2014 he won his first major title, claiming the gold medal in the 100 metres at the 2014 European Athletics Championships.

Background

Born in south London to Nigerian parents, Dasaolu did not take up sprinting seriously until he was 18 when he began a leisure management degree at Loughborough. [4]

Sprinting career

Early career

He began his career in competitive athletics relatively late, first competing in 2006; as a result he had a limited youth and junior career. However, having begun, Croydon Harrier Dasaolu made steady and significant improvements in his first few years; his 100 m personal best in 2006 was 10.75 seconds, then 10.33 seconds in 2007, and 10.26 seconds in 2008. [5]

2008

The 2008 season saw Dasaolu rise up the national rankings and introduced to the UK Athletics warm weather training camp. Under the tutelage of coach Michael Khmel at Loughborough University and training with 2006 World Junior Champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and former European Junior Champion Leon Baptiste, [6] Dasaolu won the 2008 England under-23 championships and reached the semi-finals at the British Olympic Trials. [5]

2009

The beginning of the 2009 season showed further improvement for Dasaolu. At the seventh Graziano Della Valle meet in Italy, he recorded a new personal best of 10.15 seconds and finished in second place overall behind Aikines-Aryeetey. [7] Two weeks later he finished with 10.25 seconds at the Papaflessia meet in Greece, second only to European season leader Dwain Chambers. [8] A 100 m win at the European Athletics permit meet in Geneva in June placed him among the top European sprinters for the first time. His new personal best time of 10.09 seconds made him joint second, with Simeon Williamson, in the season's 100 m European rankings and improved his chances for a place on the British relay team at the Berlin World Championships. [9]

2010

The 2010 season saw Dasaolu make his senior GB debut when he represented GB at the European Championships in Barcelona after finishing second only to Dwain Chambers in the UK trials with a time of 10.23. However he disappointed at the Championships where he stumbled through his heat with a time of 10.40 and then crashed out in the semi-finals with at time of 10.31.

2012

Dasaolu was selected by UK Athletics for the 100 metres at the 2012 Olympics. He set a season's best time of 10.13 in his heat, finishing third behind winner Usain Bolt to qualify for the semi-finals. He finished seventh in his semi-final with a time of 10.18. [10]

2013

He began 2013 by winning a silver medal at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in the 60 metres, running a personal best of 6.48 seconds in the final, finishing centimetres behind champion Jimmy Vicaut. On 13 July at the British trials, Dasaolu ran a personal best of 9.91, the second fastest time ever by a Briton behind Linford Christie. He was selected as a member of the British squad for the 2013 World Championships in Athletics for the 100 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay. [11] In the 100 metres Dasaolu advanced from the heats as a fastest loser before setting a time of 9.97 in the semi-final to qualify for a world-level final for the first time, where he finished in eighth with a time of 10.21. [12]

2014

2014 started brightly for Dasaolu as he opened with a 6.50 in the 60 m at the annual Glasgow International match to start his indoor campaign. A time only 0.02 shy of his personal best achieved in the previous year at the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg. He would later run 6.47 at the Sainsbury's Indoor Grand Prix, improving his personal best by one hundredth of a second. In the final of the Grand Prix, Dasaolu won with a time of 6.50 but pulled up 20 m from the line after a slight tear in his thigh muscle, causing him to give up his automatic selection place for the World Indoor Championships and focus on the outdoor season instead. Dasaolu won his first major senior gold in the final of the 100 m at the 2014 European Athletics Championships with a time of 10.06 seconds, beating out two-time defending champion Christophe Lemaitre

2018

In November 2018 Dasaolu suffered an injury, rupturing his Achilles tendon. After raising money on his go fund me page. Dasaolu raised over £10000 for his surgery and recovery. However, eventually retiring from the sport

Personal bests

EventBestLocationDate
60 metres 6.47 sBirmingham, England15 February 2014
100 metres 9.91 sBirmingham, England13 July 2013

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwain Chambers</span> British track sprinter

Dwain Anthony Chambers is a British track sprinter. He has won international medals at World and European levels and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of athletics. His primary event is the 100 metres, with a best of 9.97 seconds, which ranks him fifth on the British all-time list. He is the Former European record holder for the 60 metres and 4×100 metres relay events with 6.42 seconds and 37.73 s respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darvis Patton</span> American sprinter

Darvis "Doc" Darell Patton is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. He is a two-time US Champion in the 200-meter dash and won the silver medal in the event at the 2003 World Championships. He is a three-time Olympian and a four-time participant at the World Athletics Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlon Devonish</span> English sprinter (born 1976)

Marlon Ronald Devonish, is an English former sprinter who competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres. A prodigious relay runner with particular strength as a 'bend' runner, Devonish ran the third leg for the Great Britain quartet which won the 4 x 100 metres at the 2004 Olympic Games, and won four World Championship medals in the same event in 1999, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Pognon</span> French sprinter

Ronald Pognon is a French sprint athlete. He originally specialized in the 200 metres, but later shifted to the shorter sprint distances. He was formerly the European record holder for the 60 metres indoors and is the first Frenchman to go under 10 seconds at the 100 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Aikines-Aryeetey</span> British sprinter (born 1988)

Harry Leslie Aikines-Aryeetey is an English sprinter. In 2005 he was named as the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and the IAAF's Rising Star of the Year after becoming the first athlete to win gold medals at both 100 metres and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Turner (hurdler)</span>

Andrew Steven Turner is an English bodybuilder and retired track and field athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles and occasionally competed in the 100 and 200 metres sprints as well as long jump. At the 110 m hurdles, he is the 2011 World Championship bronze medallist, the 2010 European Champion and the 2010 Commonwealth Champion. Also in 2010, he broke the automatically timed world record in the 200 metres hurdles. He was coached by Lloyd Cowan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnaldo Abrantes</span> Portuguese sprinter (born 1986)

Arnaldo Luís Isaías Abrantes is a Portuguese track and field sprinter, specialising in the distances of 100 metres and 200 metres. He also competes in the 4×100 metres relay. His father, Arnaldo Abrantes, was also a sprinter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simeon Williamson</span> English bobsledder & track and field sprinter

Simeon Oscar Williamson is an English bobsledder and former track and field sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres. Williamson, a London native, is the second cousin to 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medalist British high jumper Germaine Mason. He is coached by Lloyd Cowan, and his athletics club is Highgate Harriers. He is a former British 100 metres champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rikki Fifton</span> British sprinter

Rikki Fifton is a British sprinter who mainly specialises in the 200 metres, but occasionally competes in 100 metres, 400 metres, and relay events.

Tyrone Damien Edgar is a sprinter from Great Britain who specializes in the 100 metres.

Marcus Adam is an English retired sportsperson, who represented Great Britain as both a sprinter and a bobsledder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christophe Lemaitre</span> French sprinter (born 1990)

Christophe Lemaitre is a French sprinter who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. In 2010, Lemaitre became the first white athlete to break the 10-second barrier in an officially timed 100 m event. Lemaitre has run a sub-10 second 100m on seven occasions: three times in 2010 and four times in 2011. He won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2012 London Olympic Games and in the 200 metres at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

Leon Baptiste is a retired English sprint runner who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres events. On the 4th of November 2021 he visited Rood End Primary School for the morning. He became the 100 m European junior champion in 2004 and won his first major title six years later by taking the 200 m gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi. He competes domestically for Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club and is coached by Michael Khmel at Loughborough University alongside the likes of Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Tim Abeyu and James Dasaolu.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Jelks</span> American track and field athlete (born 1984)

Mark Elliott Jelks is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100-meter dash. He has a personal best of 9.99 seconds for the event and represented the United States at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. In 2014, Jelks made a change in eligibility in order to represent Nigeria internationally. He represented his new country at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zharnel Hughes</span> British sprinter (born 1995)

Zharnel Hughes is an Anguilla-born British sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres. Born and raised in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla, he has competed internationally for Great Britain in the Olympic Games, World Athletics and European Athletics events, and for England at the Commonwealth Games, since 2015. A double Commonwealth Games, double European Championships gold medalist as part of the 4 x 100 metres relay, Hughes has twice been European champion individually; over 100 metres in 2018, and 200 metres in 2022. In 2023, he broke both British sprint records, before winning his first global individual medal, a bronze in the 100 metres at the 2023 World championships.

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

Geraldina "Dina" Rachel Asher-Smith, OLY 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.

Stefan Burkart was a Swiss sprinter and sports coach who specialised in the 60 metres and 100 metres. His personal bests of 6.61 seconds and 10.32 seconds are former Swiss records for the events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Wijmeersch</span> Belgian sprinter

Erik Wijmeersch is a Belgian former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. His greatest success was a gold medal in the 200 metres at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in 1996. His best time of 20.66 remains the Belgian indoor record for the event. He also holds bests of 10.17 seconds for the 100 metres and 6.69 seconds for the indoor 60 metres.

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

Daryll 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 Olympic bronze medals in 2016 and 2021, World Championships silver medals in 2017 and 2019 and European gold in 2018.

References

  1. "James Dasaolu". teamgb.com. British Olympic Association . Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. Fordyce, Tom (15 August 2014). "Young, hungry and tough: The rise of British sprinters". bbc.co.uk . Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  3. Lewis, Aimee. "BBC Sport – James Dasaolu becomes second-fastest Briton in history". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  4. "Britain's James Dasaolu finally ready to join sprinting elite". Telegraph. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  5. 1 2 Turnbull, Simon (8 June 2009). Dasaolu breaks into world class. The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved on 8 June 2009.
  6. Midweek Speak Archived 14 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine . UK Athletics (13 May 2009). Retrieved on 8 June 2009.
  7. VII MEETING INTERNAZIONALE E.A.P. 'GRAZIANO DELLA VALLE' 100m M – RISULTATI Archived 30 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine . Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera. Retrieved on 8 June 2009.
  8. Chambers sets European season's best in 100m. Eurosport/AFP (30 May 2009). Retrieved on 8 June 2009.
  9. Impressive Dasaolu boosts GB bid. BBC Sport (8 June 2009). Retrieved on 8 June 2009.
  10. Bailey, Michael (6 August 2012). "James Dasaolu left disappointed with his London Olympics 100m effort – but he will be back". Norwich Evening News . Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  11. "Farah Aiming to Retain World 5000m Title as British Athletics Name World Championships Team". British Athletics. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  12. Hart, Simon (11 August 2013). "World Athletics Championship 2013: a race too many for brave sprint James Dasaolu". telegraph.co.uk . Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  13. Biography Dasaolu, James. IAAF. Retrieved on 8 June 2009.