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| Born | 1 March 1986 Luton, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Joanna Blair (born 1 March 1986) [1] is a British javelin thrower who won the javelin event at the 2016 British Athletics Championships and England Athletics Championships, came second in the events at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games, 2006 AAA Championships and 2017 British Athletics Championships, and came third at the 2014 British Athletics Championships.
Blair trained at Luton Athletics Club, and also worked as a sports masseuse. [2] In 2003, she won the English Schools Senior Championship javelin event. [3] She came second in the javelin event at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games, behind Australian Annabel Thomson. [4] Blair competed at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships. [2] She came second in the 2006 AAA Championships. [5] She came seventh in the 2010 South of England Championships, with a best throw of 42.20m. [6]
Blair came third in the javelin event at the 2014 British Athletics Championships. [5] She won the javelin event at the 2016 British Athletics Championships, in a personal best distance of 57.44m, more than three metres better than her previous best. [2] It was the seventh best throw ever by a British female javelin thrower. [2] Later in the year, she won the England Athletics Championships with a best throw of 52.63m, [7] and she was named Luton's female sportsperson of the year. [8]
In 2017, she competed at the Nitro Athletics team event in Australia. [2] [9] She failed to qualify for the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London; [2] the qualifying distance was 61.50 metres. [9] She came second at the 2017 trial event for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, and was considered a contender for a place at the Games. [2] She came second to Laura Whittingham at the 2017 British Athletics Championships. [10] Blair competed at the 2017 European Team Championships. [2] It was her first international event for 11 years, and she finished ninth. [11] At the event, she failed an out of competition drugs test, after testing positive for anabolic steroid metandienone. [11] She was suspended by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), [2] who said they believed she had received a "contaminated supplement", [11] and Blair blamed contaminated creatine that she bought on the internet. [12] In 2018, she was given a backdated four year suspension until July 2021. [11] [12]
Kelly Jade Sotherton is a British former heptathlete, long jumper and relay runner. In the heptathlon she was the bronze medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics and, following the disqualification of two other athletes, also at the 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as being part of the bronze medal-winning team in the Women's 4x400m relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics. As such she is one of only five women to win multiple medals in Olympic heptathlon. She also won a bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. Representing England, Sotherton is a one-time Commonwealth Games champion, as the heptathlon gold medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Theresa Ione Sanderson is a British former javelin thrower. She appeared in every Summer Olympics from 1976 to 1996, winning the gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1984 Olympics. She was the second track and field athlete to compete at six Olympics, and the first Black British woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Fatima Whitbread, is a British retired javelin thrower. She broke the world record with a throw of 77.44 m in the qualifying round of the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, and became the first British athlete to set a world record in a throwing event. Whitbread went on to win the European title that year, and took the gold medal at the 1987 World Championships. She is also a two-time Olympic medallist, winning bronze at the 1984 Summer Olympics and silver at the 1988 Summer Olympics. She won the same medals, respectively, in the Commonwealth Games of 1982 and 1986.
Diane Dolores Modahl is an English former middle distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. She won Gold in the 800 m title at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, Silver at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, and Bronze at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Dame Valerie Kasanita Adams is a retired New Zealand shot putter. She is a four-time World champion, four-time World Indoor champion, two-time Olympic, three-time Commonwealth Games champion and twice IAAF Continental Cup winner. She has a personal best throw of 21.24 metres (69.7 ft) outdoors and 20.98 metres (68.8 ft) indoors. These marks are Oceanian, Commonwealth and New Zealand national records. She also holds the Oceanian junior record (18.93 m) and the Oceanian youth record (17.54 m), as well as the World Championships record, World Indoor Championships record and Commonwealth Games record.
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill is a British retired athlete, specialising in the heptathlon and 100 metres hurdles. As a competitor in heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time world champion, and the 2010 European champion. She is also the 2010 World Indoor pentathlon champion. A member of the City of Sheffield & Dearne athletic club, she is a former British national record holder for the heptathlon. She is also a former British record holder in the 100 metres hurdles, the high jump and the indoor pentathlon.
Shelley Holroyd is a British Olympic javelin thrower.
David Charles "Dave" Ottley is a retired British athlete who mainly competed in the men's javelin throw event.
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.
Jarrod Bannister was an Australian track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. His personal best throw of 89.02 metres, achieved in 2008, is the Australian and Oceanian record.
David Howard Travis was a British javelin thrower. He competed at the 1968 and 1972 summer Olympics in the javelin and won a gold medal in the 1967 World Student Games and the 1970 Commonwealth Games. He was an international athlete from 1965 to 1978 and the British record holder for 4 years.
Hollie Beth Arnold, is a British parasport athlete competing in category F46 javelin. Although born in Grimsby, she now lives and trains in Loughborough. She represents Wales in the Commonwealth Games.
Sue Howland is an Australian javelin thrower whose best result was a gold medal at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Howland won the Australian Junior Javelin throw in 1977 and 1978. Her international career began in 1981 with the Pacific Conference Games and continued to the 1992 IAAF World Cup.
Morgan Lake is a British high jumper. She won the silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and placed fourth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Lake finished sixth in the 2017 World Championships in Athletics and fourth in the 2018 World Indoor Championships.
Charles Phillip Clover is a male British former track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw.
Susan Mary Platt is a British former track and field athlete who competed for England and Great Britain in the javelin throw. She was a three-time Olympian and competed three times at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. She had a personal best of 55.60 m and was Commonwealth champion in 1962.
John Henry FitzSimons is a British former track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He was the gold medallist at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, winning with a games record throw of 79.78 m. He is a former British record holder and was the first British man to throw the javelin beyond eighty metres. His personal best is 81.92 m.
Colin George Smith was a British former track and field athlete who specialised in the javelin throw. He was the gold medallist in the event at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, setting a games record mark of 71.29 m to win the title. He returned to defend his title in 1962 and was much improved with a lifetime best throw of 77.94 m, but he was beaten into the silver medal position by Australia's Alf Mitchell.
The 1990 UK Athletics Championships was the national championship in outdoor track and field for the United Kingdom held at Cardiff Athletics Stadium, Cardiff. It was the first time that the event was held in the Welsh capital. Strong winds affected several of the sprint races and jumps on the programme. A women's triple jump was contested for the first time.
Kirsty Morrison is a British former track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw.
