Joan Baptiste facts for kids
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
Representing  Great Britain |
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| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 1983 Helsinki | 4x100 m relay |
| European Indoor Championships | ||
| Silver | 1983 Budapest | 200 metres |
Representing  England |
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| Commonwealth Games | ||
| Gold | 1986 Edinburgh | 4x100 m relay |
Joan Jeanetta Baptiste was born on October 12, 1959. She is a former British sprinter. A sprinter is an athlete who runs short, fast races. Joan mainly competed in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 x 100 metres relay. She won a silver medal at the very first World Championships in 1983. This was for the 4 × 100 meter relay race. She also ran in the 200 metres at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Joan's Amazing Career
Joan Baptiste was born in St. Vincent. She was a member of the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club. She became well-known in 1983. That year, she won the AAAs indoor 200 meter title. She then broke the UK indoor record. She ran 23.37 seconds to win a silver medal. This was at the European Indoor Championships in Budapest. The famous runner Marita Koch won the gold medal.
World Championships Success
Later in 1983, Joan competed at the World Championships in Helsinki. There, she won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay. She ran the first part of the race. Her teammates were Kathy Cook, Bev Callender, and Shirley Thomas. They finished the race in 42.71 seconds. They came in second, just behind the East German team. They were also just ahead of the fast Jamaican team. Joan also made it to the semi-finals in the 200 metres race.
Olympic Games and New Records
Joan reached the semi-finals of the 200 metres at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She ran her fastest time ever, 22.86 seconds. In 1985, she made her own UK indoor record even better. She ran 23.33 seconds in Stuttgart. She then finished fourth in the 200 metres final. This was at the 1985 European Indoor Championships. Her record of 23.33 seconds was the national indoor record for nine years. It was finally broken by Katharine Merry in 1994.
Commonwealth Games Gold
In 1986, Joan Baptiste won a gold medal. This was at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. She won it in the 4 × 100 meter relay race. Her teammates were Paula Dunn, Kathy Cook, and Heather Oakes. In 1987, she won the AAAs National title for the 200 metres. That same year, she competed at the World Championships in Rome. She was part of the sprint relay team there.
Joan's Best Times
Here are Joan Baptiste's fastest times in her running career:
- 100 metres – 11.32 seconds (run in Zurich, Switzerland on August 24, 1983)
- 200 metres – 22.86 seconds (run in Los Angeles, USA on August 9, 1984)
- 200 metres (indoors) – 23.33 seconds (run on February 23, 1985, which was a former UK indoor record)
See also
In Spanish: Joan Baptiste para niños
