Colin Jackson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Colin Jackson
CBE

Jackson in 2012
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1967-02-18) 18 February 1967 (age 58) Cardiff, Wales
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb; 11.8 st)
Sport
Sport	Running, hurdling
Club	Brecon Athletics Club
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 1 0 World Championships 2 2 1 World Indoor Championships 1 3 0 European Championships 4 0 0 European Indoor Championships 4 1 0 World U20 Championships 1 0 0 European U20 Championships 0 1 0 Olympic Games Silver 1988 Seoul 110 m hurdles World Championships Gold 1993 Stuttgart 110 m hurdles Gold 1999 Seville 110 m hurdles Silver 1993 Stuttgart 4x100 m relay Silver 1997 Athens 110 m hurdles Bronze 1987 Rome 110 m hurdles World Indoor Championships Gold 1999 Maebashi 60 m hurdles Silver 1989 Budapest 60 m hurdles Silver 1993 Toronto 60 m hurdles Silver 1997 Paris 60 m hurdles European Championships Gold 1990 Split 110 m hurdles Gold 1994 Helsinki 110 m hurdles Gold 1998 Budapest 110 m hurdles Gold 2002 Munich 110 m hurdles European Indoor Championships Gold 1989 The Hague 60 m hurdles Gold 1994 Paris 60 m Gold 1994 Paris 60 m hurdles Gold 2002 Vienna 60 m hurdles Silver 1987 Lievin 60 m hurdles Representing  Wales Event 1st 2nd 3rd Commonwealth Games 2 2 0 Commonwealth Games Gold 1990 Auckland 110 m hurdles Gold 1994 Victoria 110 m hurdles Silver 1986 Edinburgh 110 m hurdles Silver 2002 Manchester 110 m hurdles

Colin Ray Jackson (born 18 February 1967) is a famous Welsh athlete. He was a top runner and hurdler, specializing in the 110 metres hurdles. Colin represented Great Britain and Wales in many competitions. He won an Olympic silver medal and became a world champion twice. He was also a world indoor champion once. Colin was unbeatable at the European Championships for 12 years. He also won the Commonwealth title twice. His world record of 12.91 seconds in the 110 m hurdles lasted for almost 13 years. His 60 metres hurdles world record stood for nearly 27 years.

Colin Jackson's Amazing Career

Colin Jackson won his first big medal at age 19. It was a silver medal in the 110 m hurdles at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. He quickly became known worldwide. He earned a bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics. Then he won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Becoming a World Champion

After winning another silver medal in 1989, Colin won gold medals in 1990. These were at the European and Commonwealth Games. The year 1993 was his best. He won a silver medal at the Indoor World Championships. Then, he set a new world record of 12.91 seconds. This made him the 1993 World Champion. This record was not broken for almost 13 years. It is still the fastest time ever at the World Championships. Colin was also part of the British team that won a silver medal in the 4×100 metres relay.

Unbeaten Streak and More Records

Colin had an amazing streak of 44 races without losing. This happened between 1993 and 1995. In 1994, he won more European and Commonwealth gold medals. He also set another world record, running 7.30 seconds in the 60 m hurdles. At the 1994 European Athletics Indoor Championships, he won two gold medals. He won the 60 m hurdles and the 60 m sprint. His 60 m sprint time of 6.49 seconds was a European record.

Injuries affected Colin's performance in 1995 and 1996. He finished fourth at the 1996 Olympics. He came back strong in 1997, winning two silver medals. These were at the Indoor World Championships and the World Outdoors. In 1998, he won the European Championships for the third time in a row. He then became both indoor and outdoor World champion in 1999. He finished fifth at the 2000 Summer Olympics. His last major medals came in 2002. He won European indoor and outdoor gold and a Commonwealth silver.

After Retirement from Athletics

After his racing career, Colin worked in sports management and as a sports coach. Now, he is a sports commentator for athletics. He is also a television presenter, mostly for the BBC. Many people in Britain know him from TV. He was on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005. He has also appeared on many other TV shows.

Colin Jackson's Early Life

Colin Jackson was born in Cardiff, South Wales. His family background includes Jamaican and Panamanian roots. He found out through a DNA test that his family comes from Africa and Europe. There is also some North American Indigenous ancestry. This suggests he might be descended from Jamaican Maroons and Taínos. His mother, who was born in Panama, had Scottish ancestors.

Colin is the brother of actress Suzanne Packer. She played Tess Bateman in the BBC hospital show Casualty. Colin grew up in Birchgrove. He went to Springwood Primary School and then Llanedeyrn High School.

Sports in School

Colin played football and cricket for his county. He also played rugby union and basketball for his school. He joined the Birchgrove Harriers athletics club, where his talent grew. He was the captain of his school cricket team. He and four teammates were invited to try out for the Welsh national cricket team. His teammates were chosen, but Colin was not. He felt this was unfair. This made him decide to stop playing cricket and focus on athletics. He felt that athletics had more people who looked like him. Colin also said he felt treated unfairly by British Athletics when it came to team selections and getting sponsors. He believed this was because he was Welsh.

Colin Jackson's Athletics Career

Colin Jackson started as a promising decathlete. A decathlete competes in ten different track and field events. But his coach, Malcolm Arnold, helped him switch to high hurdles. Colin won a gold medal at the 1986 World Junior Championships. He then moved up to compete with adult athletes.

Olympic and World Medals

After winning a silver medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, he won another silver. This was in the 110m hurdles at the 1988 Olympic Games. He finished behind Roger Kingdom. Colin continued to compete for another fifteen years. For ten of those years, he held the world record. He won the World Champion title twice. He also became Commonwealth Champion twice and European Champion four times. However, the 1988 silver medal was his only Olympic medal. In 1992, he had an injury. He finished seventh in the final. In 1996, he came fourth, and in 2000, he was fifth.

Setting World Records

Colin set his world record for the 110 metres hurdles on 20 August 1993. He won his first World Championships gold medal in Stuttgart, Germany. His time was 12.91 seconds. This new record was 0.01 seconds faster than the old one. It stood for almost thirteen years. Liu Xiang equaled it in 2004 and then broke it in 2006.

Colin also held the indoor world record for the 60 metres hurdles. He ran it in 7.30 seconds in 1994. This record lasted until February 2021. At the 1994 European Indoor Championships, he won two European titles. He won both the 60 metres hurdles and the 60 metres sprint race. His 60 m sprint time of 6.49 seconds was a European record.

Jackson at the 2007 European Cup

Unbeaten and Special Skills

Colin was unbeatable between 29 August 1993 and 9 February 1995. He won 44 races in a row during this time. His winning time at the 1994 Commonwealth Games was a Commonwealth Games record.

Colin was very good at the "dip." This is when a runner leans forward at the end of a race. It helps to get the shoulders across the finish line faster. He was also known for starting races very quickly. This helped him win many 60m events. Colin's excellent hurdling technique made him stand out from other athletes.

In 1998, there was some discussion when he chose to race for money in Tokyo, Japan. This meant he did not compete for Wales in the Commonwealth Games.

Six years after his first world title, Colin won the 110m hurdles again. This was at the 1999 Seville World Championships. This was his last gold medal at the highest level. But he won a fourth European Championships gold medal in a row in 2002. This extended his winning streak as European Champion back to 1990.

Colin Jackson's Life After Athletics

Jackson at the 2007 Highland Games

After ending his athletics career in 2003, Colin has done many things. He coached his friend, the swimmer Mark Foster. He also coached two promising Welsh Olympic runners. Colin was part of the team that helped London 2012 win the bid to host the Olympic Games. He is also a key part of the BBC's TV coverage of athletics. He started his TV career in 2004. He co-hosted a BBC show called Born to Win.

Colin has received several important awards from the British government. He was given the MBE in 1990. Then he was promoted to OBE in 2000 and to a CBE in 2003. These awards recognize his great service to athletics.

The English reggae band Aswad mentioned him in their 1994 hit song "Shine". The lyrics say: Him a floating like a butterfly, the hurdling man – Yes, me-a-chat about Colin Jackson.

Colin Jackson has written three books. The first, The Young Track and Field Athlete, was published in 1996. His second, Colin Jackson: The Autobiography, came out in 2004. His last book, Life's New Hurdles, was published in 2008.

Since 2014, Colin has been the race director for the Wings for Life World Run. This is a global running event. In December 2018, he became the Chancellor of Wrexham Glyndŵr University. In July 2022, he carried the Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay.

Media Career Highlights

After retiring from athletics, Colin became the face of BBC Raise Your Game with Colin Jackson. In this show, he talked to famous international stars. They discussed how important learning is.

His work as a BBC athletics commentator began with the 2004 Athens Olympics. Since then, he has been a regular part of the BBC team covering athletics events. He is also a director of a production company called Red Shoes.

Jackson at a charity event in 2005

Colin was featured on the BBC TV show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2006. This show explores people's family history. Genetic tests showed his family background was mostly African and European. His mother was born in Panama. Her mother was from Jamaica, and had Scottish and African ancestors.

In March 2007, Colin was the 'hidden celebrity' on the CBBC game show Hider in the House. In 2008, he co-hosted the Sunday morning show Sunday Life on BBC One.

Colin appeared in the BBC One documentary The Making of Me in 2008. This show tried to find out what made him such a talented athlete. A sample of his leg muscle showed he had very fast twitch fibres. This is rare for athletes. His family's support was also very important.

In 2009, Colin shared his writing tips on the BBC raw words website. He was in a comedy short about writing a story. He also shared tips from writing his book Life's New Hurdles. In July 2010, Colin was a contestant on the BBC show Celebrity MasterChef.

In 2012, Colin made a short appearance as himself in the TV show Stella. In 2015, he starred in the historical show 24 Hours in the Past. In February 2019, Colin became the Chancellor of Wrexham Glyndwr University. He had received an Honorary Fellowship in 2016 for his work in sport.

Strictly Come Dancing

In 2005, Colin was a celebrity contestant on the BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing. He and his dance partner Erin Boag came in second place. They just lost to cricketer Darren Gough. In 2006, Colin became the first person to win the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special without winning the main series.

Go Dad Run

In 2013, Colin started his own charity event for men called Go Dad Run. The goal is to raise awareness about men's health issues. It also raises money for charities that help men. These include Prostate Cancer UK and Bowel Cancer UK.

Sport 4 Kids

Colin Jackson joined Sport4Kids (S4K) as their International Director. He helps to develop the S4K brand. His goal is to improve children's sports across the UK and other countries.

Iaith ar Daith

In 2020, Colin joined other celebrities in a new S4C TV series. It was called Iaith ar Daith (which means 'Language Road Trip'). In the show, they learned the Welsh language while traveling around Wales. At the end of the series, Colin was interviewed in Welsh.

Dancing on Ice

In 2021, Colin took part in the thirteenth series of Dancing on Ice. He was partnered with Klabera Komini. They finished in 3rd place.

International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing  Great Britain and  Wales
1985	European Indoor Championships	Piraeus, Greece	10th (sf)	60 m hurdles	7.85
	European Junior Championships	Cottbus, East Germany	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.69
1986	World Junior Championships	Athens, Greece	1st	110 m hurdles	13.44
	Commonwealth Games	Edinburgh, United Kingdom	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.42
1987	European Indoor Championships	Liévin, France	2nd	60 m hurdles	7.63
	World Indoor Championships	Indianapolis, United States	4th	60 m hurdles	7.68
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	3rd	110 m hurdles	13.38
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.28
1989	European Indoor Championships	The Hague (Netherlands)	1st	60 m hurdles	7.59
	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	2nd	60 m hurdles	7.45
	World Cup	Barcelona, Spain	2nd	110 m hurdles	12.95 (w)
1990	Commonwealth Games	Auckland, New Zealand	1st	110 m hurdles	13.08
	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	1st	110 m hurdles	13.18
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	2nd (h)	110 m hurdles	13.251
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	7th	110 m hurdles	13.46
	World Cup	Havana, Cuba	1st	110 m hurdles	13.07
1993	World Indoor Championships	Toronto, Canada	2nd	60 m hurdles	7.43
	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	110 m hurdles	12.91
			2nd	4 × 100 m relay	37.77
1994	European Indoor Championships	Paris, France	1st	60 m	6.49
			1st	60 m hurdles	7.41
	Goodwill Games	St. Petersburg, Russia	1st	110 m hurdles	13.29
	Commonwealth Games	Victoria, Canada	1st	110 m hurdles	13.08
	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	1st	110 m hurdles	13.08
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	4th	110 m hurdles	13.19
1997	World Indoor Championships	Paris, France	2nd	60 m hurdles	7.49
	World Championships	Athens, Greece	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.05
1998	Goodwill Games	Uniondale, United States	4th	110 m hurdles	13.17
	European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	110 m hurdles	13.02
	World Cup	Johannesburg, South Africa	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.11
1999	World Indoor Championships	Maebashi, Japan	1st	60 m hurdles	7.38
	World Championships	Seville, Spain	1st	110 m hurdles	13.04
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	5th	110 m hurdles	13.28
2001	Goodwill Games	Brisbane, Australia	5th	110 m hurdles	13.63
2002	European Indoor Championships	Vienna, Austria	1st	60 m hurdles	7.40
	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, United Kingdom	2nd	110 m hurdles	13.39
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	1st	110 m hurdles	13.11
2003	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	5th	60 m hurdles	7.61

¹Did not start in the semifinals

Personal Best Times

Outdoor

• 110 metres hurdles – 12.91 seconds (1993), this was a world record and is still a European record.
• 200 metres hurdles – 22.63 seconds (1991)
• 100 metres – 10.29 seconds (1990)
• 200 metres – 21.19 seconds (1988)
• High jump – 1.81 m (5 ft 11.13484252 in) (1982)
• Long jump – 7.56 m (24 ft 9.51279528 in) (1985)

Indoor

• 50 metres hurdles – 6.40 seconds (1999), this is the current British record.
• 60 metres hurdles – 7.30 seconds (1994), this was a world record.
• 110 metres hurdles – 13.40 seconds (2003)
• 60 metres – 6.49 seconds (1994), this was a European record.
• All information from IAAF profile.

Images for kids

• 

  A robot for kids