// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Helen Clitheroe? A cliff-hanger athlete.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 2 January 1974 Preston, Lancashire, England |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb; 9.0 st) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | middle-distance |
| Club | Preston Harriers |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | 1500 m: 4:01.10 3000 m: 8:51.02 3000 m steeplechase: 9:29.14 5000 m: 15:06.75 10000 m: 31:45[1] |
Medal record | |
Helen Teresa Clitheroe (née Pattinson) (born 2 January 1974 in Preston, England) is a former British middle and long-distance runner.[2]
Athletics career
[edit]She competed in the 1500 m at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.[3]
She represented England in the 1,500 metres event, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[4][5] Four years later she was the 1500 m bronze medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.[6]
She achieved the Olympic A qualifying standard for the 3000 m steeplechase at the Meeting Iberoamericano, in Huelva on 13 June 2008, where she finished eighth in a time of 9:43.56.[7] Her place in the British team for the Games was confirmed when she won the British trials in a new national record time of 9:36.98.[8] At the Games she finished sixth in her heat and did not advance to the next round of competition, despite beating her own national record with a time of 9:29.14.[9] At the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final, in Stuttgart, Clitheroe placed 9th in the 3000 m steeplechase in a time of 9:39.72.[10]
She completed a spell of high-altitude training in Iten, Kenya and then came close to a 3000 m lifetime best at the Aviva International Match in January 2011, finishing with a stadium record run.[11][12] The May 2011 Great Manchester Run saw her produce a career best for the 10K as she completed a dominant performance to win the race in a time of 31:45 minutes.[13] She set herself a similar target at the European Cup 10000m in June 2011, but suffered in hot conditions and finished in fourth with a time of 32:11.29 minutes.[14]
Domestically, she was three-times the British 1500 metres champion after winning the British AAA Championships title in 2001, 2005 and 2006.[15][16]
She continued working in the Industry as a coach, and during 2022 was coaching with the New Balance team at Manchester, working as personal coach to Ciara Mageean during her very successful 2022 season.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Great North Run 2011". Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ↑ "Team GB > Beijing 2008 > Athlete profile > Helen Clitheroe". Website of the BOA. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ↑ "Athlete Biography - Clitheroe, Helen". The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ↑ "1998 Athletes". Team England.
- ↑ "England team in 1998". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ↑ "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ↑ "Tim Abeyie wins in Rabat, Helen Clitheroe attains Olympic standard in Huelva". Athletics Weekly. 15 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ↑ "Clitheroe qualifies for Beijing". BBC Sport. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ↑ "Olympics 2008 - Day 1 Evening Session Report". UK Athletics. 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ↑ "Ohuruogu ready for Richards". sportinglife.com. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ↑ Brown, Matthew (2011-01-29). Ennis sparkles in Glasgow. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-01-30.
- ↑ Jessica Ennis starts season with hurdles win in Glasgow . BBC Sport (2011-01-29). Retrieved on 2011-01-30.
- ↑ Wenig, Jorg (2011-05-15). Gebrselassie takes fourth Manchester 10Km victory, Clitheroe surprises. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-05-27.
- ↑ Portugal double victory at the European Cup 10000m Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. European Athletics (2011-06-04). Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
- ↑ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ↑ "AAA Championships (women)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
External links
[edit]
European Athletics Indoor Champions in women's 3000 metres | |
|---|---|
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- 1974 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Preston, Lancashire
- English women long-distance runners
- British women long-distance runners
- English women middle-distance runners
- British women middle-distance runners
- British women steeplechase runners
- English women steeplechase runners
- Olympic women middle-distance runners
- Olympic women steeplechase runners
- Olympic athletes for Great Britain
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
- World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain
- European Athletics Indoor Championships winners
- British Athletics Championships winners
- AAA Championships winners
- Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- 21st-century English sportswomen
- 20th-century English sportswomen
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in athletics