Diane Modahl facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Diane Modahl
MBE

Diane Modahl launches the 2009 Two Cities Boat Race
Personal information
Birth name	Diane Edwards
Born	(1966-06-17) 17 June 1966 (age 59) Manchester, England
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	800m
Club	Sale Harriers, Manchester
Turned pro	1986
Coached by	Vicente Modahl
Retired	2002
Now coaching	Aimee Pratt
Medal record Athletics Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1990 Auckland 800 m Silver 1986 Edinburgh 800 m Bronze 1998 Kuala Lumpur 800 m

Diane Dolores Modahl (born 17 June 1966) is a former English middle-distance runner. She was known for running the 800 metres race. Diane won a Gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. She also earned a Silver medal in 1986 and a Bronze medal in 1998 at the same games.

Diane also finished third at the 1989 IAAF Grand Prix Final. She came fourth at the 1993 World Championships. In 1994, she won the European Cup. She also won six national 800m titles in the UK. Diane represented Great Britain in four Olympic Games between 1988 and 2000. She reached the 800m final in 1988. Her fastest 800m time was 1 minute, 58.65 seconds in 1990. This makes her one of the fastest British runners ever in this event. Her cousin is the famous retired boxer Chris Eubank.

Diane Modahl's Running Career

Diane Modahl, born Diane Edwards, grew up in Manchester. Her parents were from Jamaica. In 1984, she won the English Schools 800 metres title. She became a top 800m runner in Britain when she was 20. This was in 1986. She won the AAA Championships title that year.

Later in 1986, she won a silver medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. She finished second in the 800m race. A month later, she reached the semi-finals at the 1986 European Athletics Championships. In 1987, Diane won the UK Athletics Championships 800m title. She also ran her personal best time of 1:59.30 in Oslo. She kept her AAAs 800m title. This helped her get chosen for the 1987 World Championships. There, she reached the semi-finals.

In 1988, she was chosen for the Seoul Olympic Games. She made it to the 800m final and finished eighth. The year 1989 was one of her best. She finished third in the 800m at the 1989 IAAF Grand Prix Final. She was ranked among the top seven 800m runners in the world.

In January 1990, Diane won the gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. She set a new English record for the 800m with a time of 1:58.65 in Oslo. This remained her best time ever. She reached the final at the 1990 European Athletics Championships. After dealing with injuries, she won her third AAAs 800m title in 1992. This led to her selection for the Barcelona Olympics. She reached the semi-finals there.

In 1993, now known as Diane Modahl, she had another great year. She often ran the 800m in under two minutes. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, she finished fourth in the final. She was again ranked among the top seven 800m runners in the world. In 1994, she won her fifth AAAs 800m title. She also won the 800m at the European Cup.

Diane returned to competing in 1996. She finished second in the 800 metres at the British Olympic trials. At the Atlanta Olympic Games, she had a hamstring injury during her race. In 1998, she won her sixth AAAs 800m title. She then won the 800m bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. She competed in her fourth Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. She retired from running in 2002.

Challenging a Test Result

In 1994, Diane Modahl was sent home from the Commonwealth Games in Canada. This happened after a routine test showed an unexpected result. She was temporarily stopped from competing. Diane strongly believed she was innocent. She decided to challenge the testing process.

Her legal team found that the lab in Lisbon had stored her sample incorrectly. It was kept on a table in a warm room for three days. This caused the sample to break down. This evidence showed that Diane was innocent. She won her case. Diane said, "I have declared my innocence, I have never taken any banned substance."

The British Athletics Federation removed her ban in July 1995. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) also cleared her in March 1996. Important judges in London also agreed that Diane was innocent. This long legal fight was very expensive for Diane. It also caused financial problems for the British Athletics Federation.

Diane and her husband, Vicente, wrote a book about their experiences. It was called The Diane Modahl Story - Going the Distance.

Life After Athletics and Charity Work

Diane stopped competing in 2002. However, she stayed very involved in sports. In 2010, Diane and her husband, Vicente, started the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF). This is a charity that helps young people. DMSF gives athletics coaching chances to young people. They especially help those in areas where it's harder to get these opportunities.

Diane has also held many important roles. She advised health groups and was a director for NHS Manchester. She was also a Chief Ambassador for the charity Street Games. In 2019, she joined Sports England's Talent Inclusion Advisory Group. She also became a trustee for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.

In 2020, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, asked her to lead the Young Person’s Task Force. This was an unpaid role to help young people after the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, she joined the board of Commonwealth Games England. Diane also supports Street Games, which uses sport to help young people. She also helps 'A Bed Every Night', a program for people experiencing homelessness in Greater Manchester.

Awards and Recognition

In 2002, Diane received a special honorary degree. This was from universities in Greater Manchester. It was to celebrate her contributions to the Commonwealth. This happened when the Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester.

In 2018, Diane was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award. This award recognized her great work in sports and helping young people in North West England.

Personal Life

Diane is married to Vicente Modahl. He is an athletics coach from Norway. He is also a sports agent. Diane took part in the TV show I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2004.

Achievements

• 6 AAA's Championships 800 metres titles (1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1998)
• 2 UK Athletics Championships titles (1987 800m & 1990 400m)

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  England
1986	Commonwealth Games	Edinburgh, United Kingdom	2nd	800 m	2:01.12
1990	Commonwealth Games	Auckland, New Zealand	1st	800 m	2:00.25
1998	Commonwealth Games	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	3rd	800 m	1:58.81
Representing  Great Britain
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	11th (sf)	800 m	2:00.84
1987	European Cup	Prague, Czechoslovakia	4th	800 m	2:00.21
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	semi-finals	800 m	1:59.34
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	8th	800 m	2:00.77
1989	European Cup	Gateshead, United Kingdom	5th.	800 m	2:01.13
	Grand Prix Final	Fontvieille, Monaco	3rd	800 m	2:00.83
1990	European Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	7th	1500 m	4:21.27
	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	8th	800 m	2:02.62
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	15th (sf)	800 m	2:04.32
1993	European Cup	Rome, Italy	5th	800 m	2:00.2
	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	4th	800 m	1:59.42
	Grand Prix Final	London, United Kingdom	7th	800 m	2:01.74
1994	European Cup	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	800 m	2:02.81
	Goodwill Games	Saint Petersburg, Russia	4th	800 m	1:59.85
	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	14th (sf)	800 m	2:02.18
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	heats	800 m	DNF
1998	Goodwill Games	New York, United States	5th	800 m	2:02.01
	European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	9th (sf)	800 m	2:00.08
1999	European Cup	Paris, France	5th	800 m	2:00.80
	World Championships	Seville, Spain	17th (h)	800 m	2:00.83
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	21st (h)	800 m	2:02.41