Age: 30 (Born 17/04/81)

Club: Wigan & District

Coach: Trevor Painter

Website: Jenny Meadows

Event: 800m

 

Career highlights:

Jenny had a successful career as schoolgirl winning the English Schools and AAA's National titles at 800m. She was also part of the 4x400m relay team and crowned a World Junior Champion. From 2002 she ran as part of the GB 4x400m relay team, then in 2005 she went back to 800m and began to focus on twice round the track. By 2007 she had broken the two-minute barrier and became the British Indoor 800m champion. In 2008 she won the European cup at 800m, and as part of the Beijing Olympic team she reached the semi-finals. More medals followed in 2009 including bronze at the World Championships in Berlin and a lifetime best of 1:57.93, ranking her third ever fastest British woman over the distance.

In 2010 Jenny won a Silver medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha. Another medal followed, Bronze in Barcelona at the European Athletics Championships. She was highly thought of by UKA officials and was captain of British team in South Korea.

In 2011 Jenny failed to get to the World Championships in Daegu, but, at the age of 30, Jenny finally won her first national outdoor senior title with an 800m victory at the Aviva National Championships in Birmingham in July, to become National Outdoor Champion, and she'd run a sub two 800m seven times by November.


Quirky fact:

She has a miniature Schnauzer, called Harvey, and her husband/coach, Trevor Painter has been kept company at night by the dog as Jenny sleeps in a hypoxic tent (a tent that mimmicks being at altitude, used by athletes to produce more red blood cells). 

The Running Bug's prediction for Jenny Meadows in the London Olympics 2012: