Heather Fell facts for kids
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's modern pentathlon | ||
Representing  Great Britain |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 2008 Beijing | Individual |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2012 Rome | Team |
| Silver | 2008 Budapest | Team |
| Silver | 2008 Budapest | Relay |
| Silver | 2009 London | Team |
| Silver | 2010 Chengdu | Team |
| World Cup | ||
| Gold | 2008 Millfield | Individual |
| Bronze | 2007 Moscow | Individual |
| Bronze | 2008 Kladno | Individual |
| European Championships | ||
| Gold | 2007 Riga | Relay |
| Silver | 2007 Riga | Individual |
| Silver | 2009 Leipzig | Individual |
| Silver | 2012 Sofia | Team |
| Bronze | 2010 Debrecen | Team |
| Bronze | 2012 Sofia | Relay |
| Women's Triathlon | ||
| Representing Great Britain |
||
| 35-39F European Sprint Triathlon Championships | ||
| Gold | 2018 Glasgow | Individual |
Heather Fell (born 3 March 1983) is a British athlete. She was a top competitor in modern pentathlon. Later, she became a triathlete. Heather is best known for winning a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. This was for the women's modern pentathlon event.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Heather Fell grew up in Tavistock, Devon, England. She learned to ride horses and shoot from a young age. These skills are important parts of modern pentathlon. Her teachers were the parents of Kate Allenby, an Olympic medalist. Heather also studied physiotherapy at Brunel University.
Modern Pentathlon Career
Heather had great success as a junior athlete. In 2003, she won two gold medals and one silver at the World Junior Championships. However, she faced challenges in 2006. Injuries to her shins caused her funding to be cut. She almost quit the sport. Her funding was only given back when she qualified for the Olympics.
First Senior Medals
In 2007, Heather won her first medal in a World Cup event. She earned a bronze medal in Moscow. She also won an individual silver medal at the European Championships in Riga. This result helped her qualify for the Olympics. At the same event, she won a gold medal with her relay team. Her teammates were Katy Livingston and Georgina Harland.
Success in 2008
The year 2008 was very successful for Heather. She won a gold medal at the Millfield World Cup event. She also took home a bronze medal in Kladno. In Kladno, she improved her position during the final running event. She also set a personal best time in swimming. At the World Championships in Budapest, she finished fourth individually. However, she won two silver medals in the team events. She competed with Georgina Harland, Mhairi Spence, and Katy Livingston.
2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Heather won a silver medal. This was in the women's individual modern pentathlon. She finished second to Lena Schöneborn from Germany.
The modern pentathlon has five different sports:
- Shooting: Heather scored 185 out of 200 points. This put her in 6th place.
- Fencing: She earned 880 points in fencing.
- Swimming: She swam very well, getting 1328 points.
- Horse Riding: She scored 1144 points in show jumping.
After these four events, Heather was in second place. She was 19 seconds behind the leader. The final event was a 3000-meter run. Heather completed the run in 10 minutes and 19.24 seconds. This was a strong performance. She closed the gap by 9 seconds but couldn't catch the leader. After winning her medal, she said she was glad she didn't give up.
Transition to Triathlon
In 2014, Heather announced her retirement from modern pentathlon. She decided to try a new sport: ironman triathlon. This is a very challenging race. It includes swimming, cycling, and running long distances.
Triathlon Achievements
In 2017, Heather came second in her age group at a big triathlon race in Africa. This qualified her for the Ironman World Championship in Kona. She finished 36th in her age group there. Since late 2017, Heather has also been a presenter. She co-hosts content on the Global Triathlon Network YouTube channel. In 2018, she became the European Sprint Triathlon Champion. This was in the 35-39 women's age category in Glasgow.
See also
- Modern pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics
