Denise Lewis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dame
Denise Lewis
DBE

Denise Lewis at Soccer Aid for Unicef (2025)
Personal information
Born	(1972-08-27) 27 August 1972 (age 52) West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Heptathlon
Club	Birchfield Harriers Wolverhampton & Bilston AC
Coached by	Charles van Commenee, Darrell Bunn
Retired	2005
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	6,831 pts (2000)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Heptathlon Bronze 1996 Atlanta Heptathlon World Championships Silver 1997 Athens Heptathlon Silver 1999 Sevilla Heptathlon European Championships Gold 1998 Budapest Heptathlon European Cup Gold 1995 Helmond Heptathlon Silver 2003 Brixen Heptathlon Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1994 Victoria Heptathlon Gold 1998 Kuala Lumpur Heptathlon

Dame Denise Lewis is a famous British athlete who was born on August 27, 1972. She is best known for being an amazing heptathlete. A heptathlon is a tough athletics event where athletes compete in seven different sports over two days. These events test speed, strength, jumping, and throwing skills.

Denise Lewis won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She also won two Commonwealth Games gold medals and was the European Champion in 1998. She earned silver medals at the World Championships in 1997 and 1999. Denise was the first European woman to win the Olympic heptathlon.

Her best score in the heptathlon was 6,831 points, which she achieved in 2000. This was a British record for a long time! She is considered one of Britain's greatest female multi-event athletes.

After she stopped competing, Denise became a well-known sports presenter and commentator for BBC Television. She covered many Olympic Games, including London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024. She also became the president of Commonwealth Games England and, since 2023, the president of UK Athletics.

Early Athletics Career

Denise Lewis started her senior career in heptathlon with great success. She won a gold medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. She then earned a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

She continued to shine, winning a silver medal at the 1997 World Championships. In 1998, she won gold medals at both the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. She also took home another silver medal from the 1999 World Championships.

Winning Gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics

The heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was a very exciting competition for Denise Lewis. It took place over two days, with athletes completing seven different events.

Day One: The Start of the Challenge

On the first day, September 23, Denise started strong in the 100 metres hurdles. She finished in 13.23 seconds, placing second. In the next event, the high jump, she didn't perform as well as usual, clearing 1.75m. This put her in eighth place overall.

However, Denise showed her strength in the shot put, throwing 15.55m. This moved her up to second place. In the final event of the first day, the 200 metres, she ran in 24.34 seconds. By the end of day one, Denise was in third place overall, ready for the second day.

Day Two: The Final Push for Gold

The second day began with the long jump. Denise jumped 6.48m, keeping her close to the leaders. The sixth event was the javelin throw. Denise threw 50.19m, which was a fantastic result. This strong throw helped her move into first place!

For the final event, the 800 metres, Denise had to run with a bandage on her leg because of an injury. She needed to stay close to her rivals to keep her lead. When she crossed the finish line, it wasn't immediately clear if she had won. But after all the points were added up, it was announced that Denise Lewis had won the gold medal with a total of 6,584 points! It was a very close finish, showing her incredible determination.

2004 Olympics and Retirement

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Denise Lewis was unfortunately dealing with several injuries. She had to withdraw from the competition after the long jump event. Her teammate, Kelly Sotherton, went on to win a bronze medal in the same event. Denise officially retired from athletics in 2005.

Athletics Statistics

Personal Best Scores

These are Denise Lewis's best results in each of the heptathlon events and her overall best score:

Performance Over the Years

Major Competitions

Denise Lewis competed in many important international events:

National Championships

Denise Lewis also won many national titles in the UK:

• AAA Championships (Long jump: 1996, 1998)
• AAA Indoor Championships (60 m hurdles: 1997; Long jump: 1994, 1995, 1998; Shot put: 2004)
• AAA Junior Championships (Heptathlon (under-17): 1988; Long jump: 1989)
• British Schools International Match (Long jump: 1988)
• English Schools Championships (Long jump: 1986 (junior), 1987 (intermediate))

Awards and Recognition

Denise Lewis has received many awards for her achievements in sports:

• She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1999.
• She became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001.
• In 2023, she was given the highest honour, becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This means she is now called "Dame Denise Lewis."

She also received the Freedom of the City of Wolverhampton in 2000. In 2010, she was inducted into the Wolverhampton Sporting Hall of Fame, and in 2011, into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.

Denise Lewis was voted "Sportswoman of the Year" three times by the Sports Journalists' Association. She also won the Sunday Times "Sportswoman of the Year" award a record three times. In 2015, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards.

Television Career

After her athletics career, Denise Lewis became a popular face on television.

Sports Commentator and Presenter

Lewis at National Hunt racing awards 2011

Since 2009, Denise has worked as a sports commentator for BBC Sport. She has covered many major athletics events, including the World Championships and Commonwealth Games. Her last appearance as a BBC pundit was at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as she took on her new role as President of UK Athletics.

She has also presented other TV shows, like The One Show and Right on the Money on BBC One. She hosted the children's reality show Camp Orange and has been a presenter for the BBC's Secret Britain, exploring hidden parts of the British countryside.

Strictly Come Dancing

In 2004, Denise Lewis took part in the popular BBC dancing competition, Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with professional dancer Ian Waite. They did very well, often scoring high points from the judges. Denise reached the final and finished as the runner-up. She also performed at the Royal Variety Performance and competed in a "Champion of Champions" special.

Other TV Appearances

Denise Lewis has appeared as a guest on many other TV shows, including:

• Let's Dance for Comic Relief (2009)
• All Star Family Fortunes (2009)
• Pointless (2011)
• The Cube (2012)
• Your Face Sounds Familiar (2013)
• Big Star's Little Star (2014)
• Give a Pet a Home (2015)
• Sport Relief (2016)
• The Chase: Celebrity Special (2017)
• Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas (2017)
• All Star Musicals (2017)
• Would I Lie to You? (2018)
• The Masked Dancer (2022)

Personal Life

Denise Lewis was born in West Bromwich, England, on August 27, 1972. Her parents were from Jamaica. She grew up in Pendeford, Wolverhampton, and went to the Regis School. A sports hall at her old school was later named in her honour.

Denise has a daughter from a previous relationship. In 2006, she married Steve Finan O'Connor, who used to manage the pop group All Saints. They have three sons together.

Images for kids

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  Denise Lewis at Soccer Aid for Unicef (2025)

• 

  Lewis at National Hunt racing awards 2011

See also

In Spanish: Denise Lewis para niños