Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | British/Maltese |
Born | Newham, London, England | 16 January 1971
Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) |
Weight | 58 kg (128 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | Middle-distance running |
Club | Zurrieq Wolves |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 800 m: 1:59.56 (2003) 1500 m: 4:29.01 (2003) |
Tanya-Gee Blake (born 16 January 1971) is a Maltese-English retired middle-distance runner, who specialized in the 800 metres and competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Born in England to a Maltese mother and American father, [1] Blake held dual citizenship to compete internationally and represented Malta. [2]
Blake finished second behind Diane Modahl in the 800 metres event at the 1998 AAA Championships. [3] Blake recorded two more second place finishes behind Kelly Holmes at the 1999 AAA Championships and 2001 AAA Championships. [4]
Blake set a historic milestone as the first Maltese athlete to break a two-minute barrier and a national record in the 800 metres at the 2003 Prefontaine Classic Grand Prix in Eugene, Oregon, United States, by registering her career best and an A-standard entry time of 1:59.56 it guaranteed her a spot on her adopted nation's team for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. [5] [6] In the women's 800 metres at the Olympics, unable to repeat her form from the Grand Prix a year earlier, Blake posted outside her national record of 2:19.34 and failed to advance further into the semifinals, as she was the last runner to cross the finish line in heat six. [5] [7] [8] [9] [10]
During her athletic career, Blake trained for the Zurrieq Wolves track and field team. [11]