 |
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | English | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 February 1967 Sydenham, London | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | 100m hurdles | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Swindon Harriers Trafford AC, Manchester | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Lesley-Ann Skeete (born 20 February 1967) 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.
Skeete was born in Sydenham, England and was raised in Swindon. She first came to prominence in 1985 as a teenager, winning the first of two English Schools 100 metres hurdles titles and placing third at the UK Championships behind Judy Simpson and Judith Rodgers in 13.76 seconds. She began 1986 by claiming her first senior national title at the AAAs indoor championships, winning the 60 m hurdles in 8.22 secs. [1] In the summer of 1986, Skeete placed second in the 100 m hurdles at both the UK Championships and the AAA Championships behind Sally Gunnell and ahead of both Wendy Jeal and Olympic silver medalist Shirley Strong. At the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, she finished fifth for England in the final in a time of 13.66. [2] [3]
In the 1987 indoor season, after retaining her AAAs title, Skeete reached the 60 m hurdles final at both the European Indoor Championships and the World Indoor Championships. At the Europeans in Lievin, she was fifth in 8.07, having run a UK record of 8.06 in both the heats and semis. At the World Indoors in Indianapolis, she was sixth in 8.18 secs. [4] Outdoors, she won the UK title in 13.29, ahead of Kim Hagger and Wendy Jeal before again finishing second to Sally Gunnell at the AAAs Championships. At the World Championships in Rome, she was eliminated in the heats in 13.40.
In 1988, Skeete finished second to Gunnell at the AAAs Championships, earning selection for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. In Seoul, she reached the semi-finals, running 13.23. In 1989, Skeete won her third AAAs 60 m hurdles title indoors, while outdoors, she finished second at the UK Championships and third at the AAAs Championships. In January 1990 at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, she won the bronze medal for England in time of 13.31, behind Kay Morley and Sally Gunnell. [5] [6] [7] Later that year, she ran her lifetime best in the 100 m hurdles to win the AAAs title, edging out Kay Morley 13.03 to 13.05. [8] At the 1990 European Championships in Split, she reached the semi-finals, where she ran 13.37.
In 1991, Skeete won her fourth AAAs indoor 60 m hurdles title [9] and reached the semi-finals at the World Indoor Championships in Seville, running 8.15. In the summer, she won her second UK title, before finishing second to Sally Gunnell (for the fourth time) at the AAAs Championships, Gunnell narrowly winning, 13.02 to 13.05. At the World Championships in Tokyo, she was eliminated in the heats in 13.33.
Skeekte began the 1992 summer season by finishing second at the UK Championships in June. Running into a strong headwind, she narrowly lost to Kay Morley-Brown, 13.59 to 13.67. In July at the AAAs Championships, incorporating the Olympic trials, she finished third behind Gunnell and Morley-Brown in a season's best of 13.38, earning selection for the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. In Barcelona, she was eliminated in the heats in 13.42. The 1992 Olympics would prove to be Skeete's final appearance at a major Championships.
Skeete has a total of 14 top three placements in the 100m hurdles at the AAA and UK Championships (three wins). Her final top three finish came in 1994, when she finished third behind Clova Court and Sally Gunnell at the AAA Championships. As of 2018, her lifetime best of 8.06 in the 60 m hurdles, ranks her 10th on the UK all-time list. In the 100 m hurdles, her best of 13.03, ranks her 16th on the UK all-time list. [10]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain /  England | |||||
| 1985 | European Junior Championships | Cottbus, East Germany | 5th | 100 m hurdles | 13.51 |
| 1986 | European Indoor Championships | Madrid, Spain | 14th (h) | 60 m hurdles | 8.40 |
| Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 5th | 100 m hurdles | 13.66 | |
| 1987 | European Indoor Championships | Liévin, France | 5th | 60 m hurdles | 8.07 |
| World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, United States | 6th | 60 m hurdles | 8.18 | |
| European Cup | Prague, Czechoslovakia | 7th | 100 m hurdles | 13.66 | |
| World Championships | Rome, Italy | 17th (h) | 100 m hurdles | 13.40 | |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 12th (sf) | 100 m hurdles | 13.23 |
| 1989 | European Indoor Championships | The Hague, Netherlands | 10th (h) | 60 m hurdles | 8.31 |
| 1990 | Commonwealth Games | Auckland, New Zealand | 3rd | 100 m hurdles | 13.31 |
| European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 14th (sf) | 100 m hurdles | 13.37 | |
| 1991 | World Indoor Championships | Seville, Spain | 10th (sf) | 60 m hurdles | 8.15 |
| European Cup | Frankfurt, Germany | 5th | 100 m hurdles | 13.26 | |
| World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 18th (h) | 100 m hurdles | 13.33 | |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 25th (h) | 100 m hurdles | 13.42 |
| National Championships | |||||
| 1985 | UK Championships | Antrim, UK | 3rd | 100 m hurdles | 13.76 |
| 1986 | UK Championships | Cwmbran, UK | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 13.57 |
| AAA Championships | Birmingham, UK | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 13.24w | |
| 1987 | UK Championships | Derby, UK | 1st | 100 m hurdles | 13.29 |
| AAA Championships | Birmingham, UK | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 13.18 | |
| 1988 | AAA Championships | Birmingham, UK | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 13.19 |
| 1989 | UK Championships | Jarrow, UK | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 13.42 |
| AAA Championships | Birmingham, UK | 3rd | 100 m hurdles | 13.38 | |
| 1990 | AAA Championships | Birmingham, UK | 1st | 100 m hurdles | 13.03 |
| 1991 | UK Championships | Cardiff, UK | 1st | 100 m hurdles | 13.66 |
| AAA Championships | Birmingham, UK | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 13.05 | |
| 1992 | UK Championships | Sheffield, UK | 2nd | 100 m hurdles | 13.67 |
| AAA Championships | Birmingham, UK | 3rd | 100 m hurdles | 13.38 | |
| 1994 | AAA Championships | Sheffield, UK | 3rd | 100 m hurdles | 13.43 |
| (#) Indicates overall position in qualifying heats (h) or semi-finals (sf) | |||||
Sally Jane Janet Gunnell is a British former track and field athlete, active between 1984 and 1997, who won the 1992 Olympic gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles. During a golden 24-month period between 1992 and 1994, Gunnell won every international event open to her, claiming Olympic Games, World Championship, European Championship, Commonwealth Games, Goodwill Games, IAAF World Cup and European Cup golds in the event, and breaking the British, European and World records in it. She is the only female British athlete to have won all four 'majors'; Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles, and was the first female 400 metres hurdler in history to win the Olympic and World titles and break the world record. Her former world record time of 52.74 secs in 1993, still ranks in the world all-time top ten and is the current British record. She was named World and European Female Athlete of the Year in 1993, and was made an MBE in 1993 and an OBE in 1998.
Jennifer Elaine "Jenny" Stoute is female English former sprinter. She represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, where she won a bronze medal in the 4x400 metres relay. She also appeared as Rebel in the ITV show Gladiators from 1996 to 1999.
Phylis Smith is a female former sprinter from Great Britain who won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay in Barcelona 1992. In 1994, she won a European Championships bronze medal in the 400 metres.
Sandra Marie Douglas is a female English former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres. She won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
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.
Linda Staines is a female former British track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres. She represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul in both the 400 metres and 4 x 400 metres relay, and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 1993 World Championships. She also won four medals at the Commonwealth Games, including an individual silver medal in the 400 metres in 1990 and two relay gold medals.
Kay Morley-Brown is a British former athlete who competed in the 100 metres hurdles. Representing Wales, she won the 1990 Commonwealth Games 100 metres hurdles title, and went on to represent Great Britain at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Her sister, Sue Morley, is also a former international hurdler.
Michelle Edwards is a British former hurdler who competed in the 100 metres hurdles at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo. She placed second in the 100m hurdles in the 1995 AAA Championships. Her official lifetime best for the 100m hurdles is 13.26 seconds in August 1990. She also ran a wind-assisted 13.08 seconds at Azusa (California) in May 1995.
Wendy Jeal 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 1986, representing England, she won a Commonwealth Games silver medal.
Selvagowry Retchakan-Müller, is an English former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 metres hurdles. She represented Great Britain at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and won silver medals at the 1992 IAAF World Cup and the 1998 Commonwealth Games. She won five AAA Championships titles and two UK Championship titles. She was ranked in the world's top ten at 400 metres hurdles in both 1991 and 1992.
Angela Gilmour is a female English former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 metres and the 4 x 400 metres relay. In the relay, she represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, while at the Commonwealth Games, she won a silver medal in Edinburgh 1986 and a gold medal in Auckland 1990.
Jacqueline Parker is an English female former athlete who competed in the 400 metres hurdles. She represented Great Britain at the World Championships in 1991 and 1993. She won the 1991 UK title and the 1993 AAA Championships title.
Andrea Joan Caron Lynch is a British former track and field sprinter who competed mainly in the 100 metres. A two-time Olympian, the peak of her career was becoming a bronze medallist in the 100 m at the 1974 European Championships and a double silver medallist in the 100 m and 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games. A former British record holder in the 100 m, she has a hand-timed best of 10.9 seconds in 1974 and an auto-timed best of 11.16 secs in 1975. Her 200 metres best is 23.15 secs in 1975.
Sharon Danville is a British former 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.
Susan Anita Jayne Chick is a British former athlete who competed in the 400 metres hurdles. She finished seventh in the 400 metres hurdles final at the 1983 World Championships. She also represented Great Britain in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and England at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Her sister, Kay Morley-Brown, is also a former international hurdler.
Elaine Mary H. McLaughlin is a Northern Irish former hurdler. She competed for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She was also a two-time Commonwealth Games finalist for Northern Ireland and won the UK Championships 400m hurdles title three times (1987–89).
Simone Lucy Laidlow is a female English former 400 metres hurdler. She represented Great Britain in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She finished second at the UK Championships three times. Her twin sister, Dawn Gandy, is also a former international athlete.
Yvette Julie Wray is a female former English pentathlete, hurdler and sprinter. Born in Scraptoft, Leicestershire, she competed for Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Moscow 1980. She also represented England at the Commonwealth Games in 1978 and 1982, winning two bronze medals.
Wendy Cearns is an English former athlete who competed in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the 1981 UK Championships and 1989 AAA Championships titles, the latter in a lifetime best of 56.05 secs. Representing England she went on to finish fourth at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand.
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.
