Jessica Varnish facts for kids
.jpg)
Varnish at the 2015 UEC European Track Championships
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jessica Varnish |
| Nickname | Jess |
| Born | 19 November 1990 Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, UK |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st) |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Track |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprinter |
Jessica Varnish (born November 19, 1990) is a former British track cyclist. She was part of the team that set a world record in 2014. Jessica also won many medals at the World Championships.
Contents
About Jessica Varnish
Jessica Varnish was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, on November 19, 1990. Her father, James "Jim" Varnish, was also a very keen cyclist. Jessica went to South Bromsgrove High School.
Early Career and Achievements
When she was just 14 years old, Jessica competed in the 2006 Junior World Championships in Belgium. Even though it was unofficial, she showed amazing talent. She broke the British record for the 500-meter standing start, finishing in 37.1 seconds. This was a whole second faster than the previous record!
In January 2006, Jessica made her first appearance for the Great Britain cycling team. This was at the Austrian Junior International event. She joined British Cycling's Olympic Development Programme. This program helps young athletes who show promise for future Olympic Games. Jessica was chosen for the program when she was only 17. This was a year earlier than most people her age, showing how much British Cycling believed in her potential.
Jessica first competed at a senior level in 2008. This was at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester. In March 2009, she won the "junior female sports personality of the year" award. This award was given by the Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
In an interesting tribute, Virgin Trains West Coast named one of their Pendolino trains after her. This happened on June 29, 2011.
Breaking World Records
On February 18, 2012, Jessica competed at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup. This event took place in the new Olympic Velodrome in London. She teamed up with Victoria Pendleton, another famous cyclist. Together, they broke the world record for the women's team sprint. They also won the gold medal at this event.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Jessica and Victoria continued their success. They broke the world record again during the qualifying rounds of the team sprint. However, they were later disqualified in the semi-finals.
Later Career and Challenges
In April 2016, a newspaper reported that Jessica's contract with British Cycling's Olympic Podium Programme would not be renewed. The Performance Director, Shane Sutton, said this was because of her performance over the past three years. He denied it was related to comments she made at the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Jessica had spoken about the choices made for the women's team sprint team. This team was trying to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but they did not succeed.
Jessica stated that she had earned more qualifying points than any other British cyclist in the two years leading up to the Olympics. She also said she had consistently performed well in the team sprint, often ranking in the world's top 5. She had also qualified for individual sprint and Keirin events at the Olympics.
After this, Jessica made some claims about comments made by Shane Sutton. In April 2016, Sutton was suspended by British Cycling. He then resigned from his position.
Major Achievements
Jessica Varnish had a very successful career in track cycling. She won many medals at different championships.
- World Championships: She won a silver medal in the team sprint in 2011. She also earned bronze medals in the 500m time trial in 2012 and the team sprint in 2014.
- European Championships: Jessica won a gold medal in the team sprint in 2011. She also secured a silver medal in the team sprint in 2010. In 2013, she won two bronze medals, one in the sprint and one in the team sprint.
- Commonwealth Games: At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she won two bronze medals. These were for the time trial and the sprint events.
Jessica also won many national titles in Great Britain. She was a champion in events like the sprint, keirin, 500m time trial, and team sprint.
Images for kids
-
This jersey is worn by the British National Champion.
-
This jersey is worn by the European Champion.
-
A bronze medal, like the ones Jessica won.
See also
In Spanish: Jessica Varnish para niños
