| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 3 August 1951 London, England |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Middle-distance running |
| Event | 800 metres |
Elizabeth Ann "Liz" Barnes (married name Laban; born 3 August 1951) is an English former middle-distance runner. She represented Great Britain in the women's 800 metres at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and won a bronze medal in the 800m at the 1980 European Indoor Championships.
As Liz Barnes, she ran her lifetime best for the 800 metres with 2:01.35 on 10 July 1976 in Zurich, before going on to compete at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, where she was eliminated in the heats of the 800m, running 2:01.70, and finished seventh in the final of the 4 × 400m relay, along with Gladys Taylor, Verona Elder and Donna Murray. [1]
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games representing England in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Barnes finished fourth in the 800 m final in 2:03.41. [2] [3] Three weeks later, she reached the semifinals at the 1978 European Championships in Prague, running 2:01.69. [4]
Barnes finished second behind Christina Boxer in 2:02.04 at the 1979 UK Championships and third in 2:02.74 behind Chris Benning and Janet Prictoe at the 1979 AAA Championships, before going on to win a bronze medal at the 1980 European Indoor Championships in Sindelfingen. [5] Her time of 2:01.5 moved her to second on the British Indoor all-time list behind Jane Colebrook's 2:01.12 from 1977. She would remain second on the British indoor all-time list until Kelly Holmes ran 1:59.21 in 2003. [6]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain /  England | |||||
| 1976 | Olympic Games | Montreal, Canada | 15th (h) | 800 m | 2:01.70 |
| 7th | 4 × 400 m | 3:28.01 | |||
| 1978 | Commonwealth Games | Edmonton, Canada | 4th | 800 m | 2:03.41 |
| European Championships | Prague, Czechoslavkia | 11th (sf) | 800 m | 2:01.69 | |
| 1980 | European Indoor Championships | Sindelfingen, Germany | 3rd | 800 m | 2:01.5 |
| (#) Indicates overall position in qualifying heats (h) or semifinals (sf) | |||||
Nikolina Pavlova Shtereva is a retired Bulgarian middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 and 1500 metres. She is best known for her silver medal in 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and at the European Indoor Championships she won gold medals in 1976 and 1979 and a bronze medal in 1981. She won fourteen national titles in Bulgaria, and is still the Bulgarian record holder in the 800 metres.
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Janet Bell is an English former middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. She won the 1987 AAA Indoor Championships title and went on to finish fifth in the 800m finals at the 1987 World Indoor Championships and 1988 European Indoor Championships.
Anne Purvis is a Scottish former athlete who specialised in the 800 metres. She won a silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and finished fourth in the 800m final at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She also won the AAAs Championship title in 1980 and 1981, and the UK Championships title in 1982 and 1986.
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Dawn Suzanne Gandy is an English former athlete who competed mainly in the 800 metres. She represented England at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and won four AAA Indoor Championships titles. She also finished second at the 1989 UK Championships and 1994 AAA Championships. Her 800m best of 2:01.87 was set in June 1988. Her twin sister, Simone Laidlow, is also a former international athlete.
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