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 4 × 100 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 is a famous British athlete who used to run and jump over hurdles. He was born on February 18, 1967. Colin was amazing at the 110 metres hurdles race.

During his career, he won many big awards for Great Britain and Wales. He earned a silver medal at the Summer Olympics. He also became a world champion twice and a world indoor champion once. For 12 years, he was the best at the European Athletics Championships, winning every time. He also won the Commonwealth Games twice.

Colin Jackson held the world record for the 110 m hurdles for almost 13 years. His record for the 60 metres hurdles lasted for nearly 27 years!

Colin Jackson's Amazing Career

Colin Jackson won his first big medal, a silver, in the 110 m hurdles when he was just 19 years old at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. He quickly became known around the world. He won a bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics and a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

After winning another silver medal in 1989, he won gold medals at the European and Commonwealth Games in 1990. The year 1993 was a huge success for him. After getting a silver medal at the Indoor World Championships, he set a new world record of 12.91 seconds. This made him the 1993 World Champion. This record was not beaten for almost 13 years! Colin was also part of the British 4 × 100 metres relay team that won a silver medal at the World Championships.

Unbeaten Streak and More Records

This time was Colin Jackson's most successful. He won 44 races in a row between 1993 and 1995. In 1994, he won more European and Commonwealth gold medals. He also set another world record, running the 60 m hurdles in 7.30 seconds. At the 1994 European Athletics Indoor Championships, he won two gold medals in the 60 m hurdles and 60 m sprint. He even set a European record of 6.49 seconds for the 60 m sprint.

Injuries affected his performance in 1995 and 1996. He finished fourth at the 1996 Olympics. He came back strong in 1997, winning two silver medals. He won the European Championships for the third time in a row in 1998. Then, in 1999, he became both indoor and outdoor World Champion. He finished fifth at the 2000 Summer Olympics. His last major medals were in 2002, where he won European indoor and outdoor gold, and a Commonwealth silver.

After he stopped competing, Colin worked in sports management and coaching. Now, he is a sports commentator for athletics and a TV presenter, mostly for the BBC. He is a well-known face on British television. He was on Strictly Come Dancing in 2005 and many other TV shows.

Colin Jackson's Early Life

Colin Jackson was born in Cardiff, South Wales. He grew up in Birchgrove. He went to Springwood Primary School and then Llanedeyrn High School.

He played many sports when he was young, including football and cricket for his county. He also played rugby union and basketball for his school. He joined the Birchgrove Harriers athletics club, which helped him develop his talent.

Colin was the captain of his school cricket team. He and four teammates were invited to try out for the Welsh national cricket team. While his teammates were chosen, Colin was not. He felt this was unfair and decided to quit cricket to focus on athletics. He said that athletics had "more people that looked like me." Colin also felt that British Athletics sometimes treated him unfairly when choosing athletes or giving out sponsorships. He said this was because he was Welsh.

Colin Jackson's Athletics Journey

Colin Jackson started as a promising athlete who could do many different events, called a decathlete. But his coach and friend, Malcolm Arnold, helped him switch to high hurdles.

He won a gold medal at the 1986 World Junior Championships. Soon after, he started competing against older athletes. He won a silver medal in the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Then, he won another silver medal in the 110 m hurdles at the 1988 Olympic Games. Even though he competed for 15 more years and held world records, this was his only Olympic medal.

In 1992, he had a fast first race, but an injury stopped him from doing his best in the final. He finished seventh. In 1996, he came fourth, and in 2000, he finished fifth.

Setting World Records

Colin set his world record for the 110 metres hurdles on August 20, 1993. He won his first World Championships gold medal in Stuttgart, Germany, with a time of 12.91 seconds. This new record was just 0.01 seconds faster than the old one. It stood for almost 13 years! It is still the fastest time ever run at the World Championships.

Colin also held the indoor world record for the 60 metres hurdles with a time of 7.30 seconds. He set this record in Sindelfingen, Germany, on March 6, 1994. This record was not broken 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.

Colin Jackson at the 2007 European Cup

Colin Jackson was known for his "dip" technique. This is when a runner leans forward at the very end of a race. It helps to move their shoulders forward and get a better time. He was also very good at starting races quickly, which helped him win many 60 m events. His excellent hurdling skills made him stand out from other athletes.

In 1998, there was some discussion when he chose to run for money in Tokyo, Japan. He did this instead of competing for Wales in the Commonwealth Games.

Six years after his first world title, Colin won the 110 m hurdles again at the 1999 Seville World Championships. This was his last gold medal at the highest level. However, he won a fourth European Championships gold medal in a row at the 2002 Munich European Championships. This meant he had been the European Champion since 1990.

Colin Jackson's Life After Athletics

Colin Jackson at the 2007 Highland Games

After ending his athletics career in 2003, Colin Jackson has done many different things. He coached his friend, the swimmer Mark Foster. He also coached two promising Welsh Olympic athletes, Timothy Benjamin and Rhys Williams.

Colin was part of the team that helped London win the bid to host the London 2012 Olympic Games. He is also a very important part of the BBC's TV coverage of athletics. He started his broadcasting career in 2004. He co-hosted a BBC TV show called Born to Win with Sally Gunnell.

Colin Jackson has received several awards for his contributions to athletics. He was given the MBE in 1990. In 2000, he was promoted to OBE, and in 2003, to a CBE.

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

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

Since 2014, Colin Jackson has been the race director for the Wings for Life World Run. In December 2018, he became the Chancellor of Wrexham Glyndŵr University. In July 2022, he helped carry the Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay into Basildon Sporting Village.

Media Work

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 about how important learning is.

His work as a BBC athletics commentator and expert started with the 2004 Athens Olympics. Since then, he has been a regular part of the BBC team covering athletics events. He has worked on six Summer Olympic Games: 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio, 2020 in Tokyo, and 2024 in Paris. He has also worked on five Commonwealth Games. He was a reporter at the 2006 Games in Melbourne and an expert and commentator at the 2010 Games in Delhi, 2014 Games in Glasgow, 2018 Games in Gold Coast, and 2022 Games in Birmingham. Colin also worked as a reporter for the BBC's coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

He is a director of a company called Red Shoes, which makes multimedia productions. Their clients include the IAAF and UEFA.

Colin Jackson at a charity event in 2005

Colin Jackson was featured in an episode of the BBC TV show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2006. This show explores people's family history. His mother was born in Panama.

In March 2007, Colin Jackson was the 'hidden celebrity' in an episode of 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 a BBC One documentary called The Making of Me in 2008. This show tried to find out what made him such a talented athlete. It showed that he had very special muscle fibers that helped him run fast. His family's support was also very important.

In 2009, Colin shared his writing tips on the BBC website "BBC raw words." He was in a short comedy video about how to structure a story. He also shared tips he learned from writing his book Life's New Hurdles.

In July 2010, Colin Jackson was a contestant on the BBC television show Celebrity MasterChef. In 2012, he made a small appearance as himself in an episode of the UK TV show Stella. In 2015, he starred in a historical experience show called 24 Hours in the Past.

In February 2019, Colin Jackson officially became the Chancellor of Wrexham Glyndwr University. He had received an award from the university in 2016 for his contributions to sport.

Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing on Ice

In 2005, Colin appeared as a celebrity contestant on the BBC TV series Strictly Come Dancing. He came in second place with his dance partner Erin Boag, just losing to cricketer Darren Gough. In 2006, Colin became the first person who didn't win the main series to win the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special.

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

Go Dad Run

In 2013, Colin Jackson created his own charity event for men called Go Dad Run. The goal is to make people more aware of men's health issues. It also raises money for charities that help men, such as Prostate Cancer UK and Bowel Cancer UK. Famous people like Mark Foster and Suzanne Packer are ambassadors for the event.

Sport 4 Kids

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

Iaith ar Daith

In 2020, Colin Jackson joined other celebrities in a new S4C TV series called Iaith ar Daith. This means 'Language Road Trip'. In the show, they learned some Welsh language while traveling around Wales. At the end of the series, Colin was interviewed in Welsh. An extra episode was broadcast at the end of 2020, checking if the celebrities were still using their Welsh.

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

Here are Colin Jackson's best times in different running events:

Outdoor

• 110 metres hurdles – 12.91 seconds (1993), which 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), which is the current British record.
• 60 metres hurdles – 7.30 seconds (1994), which was a world record.
• 110 metres hurdles – 13.40 seconds (2003)
• 60 metres – 6.49 seconds (1994), which was a European record.

See also

In Spanish: Colin Jackson para niños