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| Nationality | Scottish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 April 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | 5000m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 5000m: 14:43.24 (Suzhou, 2024) 10,000m: 30:36.84 (San Juan Capistrano, 2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Megan Keith (born 23 April 2002) is a Scottish track and field athlete and cross country runner. In 2023, she became the European U23 champion over 5000 metres. [1]
During her teenage years, Keith competed in orienteering and won European and World Youth Championship gold medals in the sport, before starting to focus on running at around the ages of 16-17. [2] In 2018, at her international orienteering debut, she became the first ever female to win a gold medal for Great Britain at the European Youth Orienteering Championships in Bulgaria, winning the sprint event by a huge margin of 34 seconds. [3] In 2019, Keith went on to be part of the British relay team that won the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Denmark, the first ever British gold medal in the competition. [4] [5]
Following this success, Keith won Scottish Young Sportswoman of the Year at the Scottish Women in Sport awards. [6] [7] Immediately after this award, Keith came 27th at the 2019 European U20 Cross Country Championship in her debut for Great Britain in athletics.
An Inverness Harriers athlete, and Edinburgh University student, Keith ran a new personal best at the 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships held in Tallinn, running 9:16.50 in the 3000m. [8] Keith won gold at the European U20 Cross Country Championship in Dublin in December 2021. [9]
In 2022, she became the British under-23 3000m champion as well as Scottish Under-23 Cross Country Champion. [10] In December, she finished second in the 2022 European Cross Country Championships under-23 race, in Turin. [11]
In February 2023, Keith was named in the Great Britain squad for the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, [12] where she placed 53rd. [13]
She was selected as part of the Great Britain team for the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships held from in July 2023 in Espoo, Finland. [14] She won the 5000m gold medal ahead of Spaniard Maria Forero and compatriot Eloise Walker. [15] [16] [17] In July 2023, competing at the Diamond League event in London, she set a new 5000m personal best time of 14:56.98. [18] She was chosen to represent Great Britain at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023. [19]
She won the U23 race at the 2023 European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in December 2023 and also claimed gold as part of the British squad which won the U23 team event. [20]
In January 2024, she set a European U23 record running in the Valencia 10K as she posted a time of 31.22m beating a record set by German athlete Alina Reh in 2018. The run was also the third fastest by a Scots athlete over 10,000m on the road - with only Liz and Eilish McColgan having recorded faster times. [21] In March 2024, she ran a 10,000 metres time of 30:36.84 in San Juan Capistrano, California, to place fourth on the UK all-time list for the event. [22] In April 2024, she set a British under-23 record time of 14:43.24 in the 5,000m at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai. [23] Keith secured a place in the 10,000m at the 2024 Summer Olympics by winning the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London on 18 May having previously achieved the qualifying standard. [24] She was selected to run the 10,000 metres for Britain at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome. [25]
At University she shares a flat with fellow GB athlete Alyson Bell and triathlete Isla Britton. [26]
Eilish McColgan is a Scottish middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2022 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres champion with the Games record, and 5000 metres silver medallist. McColgan is a four-time European Championships medallist, winning silver medals for the 5000 m in 2018 and 10,000 m in 2022, bronze in the 5000 m in 2022, and a bronze for the indoor 3000 metres in 2017. She is the European record holder for the 10 km road race, and the British record holder for the 5000 m, 10,000 m, 5 km and half marathon. She also holds the European best in the 10 miles on the roads.
Michael 'Mick' Woods is a former long-distance runner and a middle/long-distance running coach. He is currently a coach at Aldershot, Farnham & District AC and sports lecturer at St Mary's University in London. As an athlete, Woods ran internationally for Ireland and ran in over 70 marathons, with a personal best of 2:20.12. Woods is now one of his country's leading endurance running coaches.
Beth Potter is a multiple World Champion Scottish triathlete and long distance runner competing internationally for Great Britain, and for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. She competed for Great Britain in athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2019 she won the gold medal at the European Triathlon Championships in Weert, Netherlands. In 2022, she won individual bronze at the 2022 World Triathlon Sprint Championships, and silver with Team Great Britain in the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships. In 2023, she won the Elite championship in the World Triathlon Championship Series, becoming the sixth British women's world champion.
Andrew Butchart is a British runner who competed in the 5000 metres event at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. He is the current Scottish record holder in the 3000, 5000 and 10,000 metre events. In June 2023, he broke the parkrun “world-record”.
Amy-Eloise Neale OLY is a British middle- and long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 3000 metres at the 2021 European Indoor Championships.
Samuel Reardon is a British track and field athlete who competes over 400m and 800m. In 2023, he became the British Indoor Champion over 400 metres.
Maria Forero is a Spanish track and field athlete and cross country runner.
Alyson Bell is a British track and field athlete who competes as a sprinter.
Eloise Walker is a British track and field athlete who competes as a middle distance, long distance and cross county runner.
Zak Mahamed is a British long distance and cross country runner.
Will Barnicoat is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner. He was European U20 cross country champion in 2022, and became European U23 cross country champion in 2023.
Abbie Donnelly is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner. She was a bronze medalist in the individual and gold medalist in the team event at the 2023 European Cross Country Championships.
Izzy Fry is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner.
Rory Leonard is a British track and field athlete who competes as a long distance runner. In 2023, he won gold at the European U23 Athletics Championships over 10,000 metres.
Alice Goodall is a British track and field athlete who competes in long distance and cross country running. In 2023, she won gold at the European U23 Athletics Championships over 10,000 metres.
Natasha Phillips is a Scottish runner. In 2023, she broke the European U20 record for the half marathon.
Alexandra Millard is a British middle distance, long distance, and cross country runner.
Aleeya Sibbons is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for Great Britain as a sprinter.
Brodie Young is a British track and field athlete who competes as a sprinter.
Success Eduan is a British sprinter. She won the 2023 British Indoor Athletics Championships over 200 metres title.
