Kelly Holmes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dame Kelly Holmes
DBE

Holmes at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1970-04-19) 19 April 1970 (age 55) Pembury, Kent, England
Height	1.64 m
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army Women's Royal Army Corps (1988–1992) Adjutant General's Corps (1992–1997)
Years of service	1988–1997
Rank	Sergeant
Sport
Country	Great Britain England
Sport	Running
Event(s)	800 metres, 1500 m
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:56.21 (Monaco 1995) 1500 m: 3:57.90 (Athens 2004) Indoors 800 m: 1:59.21i (Ghent 2003)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 800 m Gold 2004 Athens 1500 m Bronze 2000 Sydney 800 m World Championships Silver 1995 Gothenburg 1500 m Silver 2003 Paris 800 m Bronze 1995 Gothenburg 800 m World Indoor Championships Silver 2003 Birmingham 1500 m European Championships Silver 1994 Helsinki 1500 m Bronze 2002 Munich 800 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1994 Victoria 1500 m Gold 2002 Manchester 1500 m Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 1500 m

Dame Kelly Holmes, born on April 19, 1970, is a famous British athlete who used to run middle-distance races. She is also a TV presenter and personality.

Kelly was best at running 800 and 1,500-meter races. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, she won gold medals in both! She also set many British records and still holds records for the 600 and 1,000-meter distances.

When she was young, Kelly was inspired by other British runners. She started competing in middle-distance events. She even joined the British Army but kept running in their sports events.

In 1993, she became a professional athlete. By 1994, she won gold at the Commonwealth Games and silver at the European Championships in Athletics. She won silver and bronze medals at the 1995 World Championships.

Kelly faced many injuries over the years. She didn't win a medal at her first Olympics in Atlanta 1996 because of a stress fracture. But she kept going!

She won silver at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and her first Olympic medal, a bronze, at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. In 2002, she won gold at the Commonwealth Games and bronze at the European Championships.

The year 2003 was also great for her. She won silver medals at the World Indoor Championships, World Championships, and the first World Athletics Final.

Her biggest success came in 2004 at the Athens Olympics. She won two gold medals, becoming an Olympic Champion in both the 800m and 1,500m races. For her amazing achievements, she received many awards. In 2005, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).

Kelly retired from athletics in 2005. She has since become a motivational speaker and written five books. She also appears on television.

Kelly's Early Life and Army Career

Kelly Holmes was born in Pembury, near Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, England. Her father was a car mechanic from Jamaica, and her mother was English. Kelly grew up in Hildenborough, Kent.

She started training for athletics at age 12 and joined Tonbridge Athletics Club. In 1983, she won the English Schools 1,500 meters. Her hero was the British runner Steve Ovett, who won at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Later, Kelly decided to join the British Army at 18. She had left school earlier to work in a sweet shop and as a nursing assistant. In the army, she drove large vehicles and became a physical training instructor (PTI).

Kelly was very good at sports in the army. She became the British Army judo champion. At one athletics event, she won an 800 meters race, a 3,000 meters race, and a relay race all in one day! She also won the heptathlon, which is a competition with seven different events.

Watching the 1992 Summer Olympics on TV, Kelly saw an athlete she had beaten before. This made her want to return to athletics. For several years, she balanced her army work with training. In 1997, she became a full-time athlete.

Kelly's Athletics Journey

Before the Athens Olympics

Before her big win in Athens, Kelly achieved many great things. She won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. She also earned silver medals at the World and European Championships. In 2000, she won a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics.

Winning Gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics

Holmes on parade in her hometown after the 2004 Olympics.

In 2004, Kelly arrived at the Athens Olympics without any major injuries, which was rare for her. She had planned to only run the 1,500-meter race. But after beating a top runner before the games, many people thought she should try the 800-meter race too. Kelly decided to compete in both events just five days before the 800m final.

In the 800m final, Kelly ran a smart race. She didn't start too fast like some others. On the last bend, she took the lead and won the gold medal! She became the seventh British woman to win an athletics gold at the Olympics.

In the 1,500m final, she again started from the back. She took the lead in the final straight part of the track. She held off the World Champion from Russia to win her second gold medal. This made her only the third woman ever to win both the 800m and 1,500m at the same Olympics. Her time of 3 minutes 57.90 seconds in the 1,500m final was a new British record.

After her amazing wins, Kelly had the honor of carrying the British flag at the closing ceremony of the games. Her hometowns of Hildenborough and Tonbridge held a parade for her, and about 40,000 people came to celebrate. In 2004, Kelly won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. She said she achieved her goals after "20 years of dreaming."

Kelly's Best Times

Here are some of Kelly Holmes's fastest times in different races:

Kelly's Competition Results

Here is a list of Kelly Holmes's results in major competitions, representing Great Britain and England:

Representing  Great Britain and  England

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	5th (sf)	800 m	1:58.64
1994	Commonwealth Games	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada	1st	1500 m	4:08.86
	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	2nd	1500 m	4:19.30
	IAAF World Cup	London, England	3rd	1500 m	4:10.81
	European Cup	Birmingham, England	2nd	1500 m	4:06.48
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	3rd	800 m	1:56.95
			2nd	1500 m	4:03.04
	European Cup	Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France	1st	1500 m	4:07.02
1996	European Cup	Madrid, Spain	2nd	800 m	1:58.20
	Olympic Games	Atlanta, Georgia, United States	4th	800 m	1:58.81
			11th	1500 m	4:07.46
1997	European Cup	Munich, Germany	1st	1500 m	4:04.79
1998	Commonwealth Games	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	2nd	1500 m	4:06.10
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	4th (sf)	800 m	2:00.77
2000	Summer Olympics	Sydney, Australia	3rd	800 m	1:56.80
			7th	1500 m	4:08.02
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	6th	800 m	1:59.76
2002	European Championships	Munich, Germany	3rd	800 m	1:59.83
			11th (h)	1500 m	4:08.11
	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, England	1st	1500 m	4:05.99
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	2nd	800 m	2:00.18
	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, England	2nd	1500 m	4:02.66
	IAAF World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	2nd	800 m	1:59.92
2004	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	9th	1500 m	4:12.30
	Summer Olympics	Athens, Greece	1st	800 m	1:56.38
			1st	1500 m	3:57.90
	IAAF World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	1st	1500 m	4:04.55

• Kelly has also won 12 national titles in her career.

Awards and Honors

Kelly Holmes has received many important awards and honors:

	Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)	In 2005, she was given this high honor for her great work in athletics. The Queen herself presented the award to Kelly at Buckingham Palace.
	Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)	In 1998, she received this award for her service in the British Army.

• In 2007, she received an honorary degree from Loughborough University.
• In 2010, Kelly was added to the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
• From 2018 to 2024, she was an honorary colonel for the Royal Armoured Corps Training Regiment.

Dame Kelly Holmes Trust

In 2008, Kelly started the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. This is a charity that helps young athletes. It also supports young people across the UK who are facing challenges. Kelly often takes part in fundraising events for her charity.

After Her Athletics Career

Since 2004, Kelly has helped with "On Camp with Kelly" athletics camps. These camps train young athletes.

In 2005, she won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year. That same year, she named a P&O Cruise ship called MS Arcadia. On August 21, she ran her last race in the UK. She finished eighth due to an injury.

On December 6, 2005, Kelly announced she was retiring from athletics. She said she felt it was time to move on.

In May 2009, Kelly was chosen as the president of Commonwealth Games England. This organization helps prepare athletes for the Commonwealth Games.

Kelly is also known for talking about important health topics. These include mental health and menopause.

Television and Radio Appearances

Kelly Holmes has appeared on many TV shows:

• In November 2010, she was on the ITV game show The Cube.
• In October 2011, she talked about her life after athletics on the Dubai One show Studio One.
• In 2013, she became the face of MoneyForce. This program gives money advice to the UK armed forces.
• In early 2015, she was a runner-up on the ITV show Bear Grylls: Mission Survive.
• In 2017, Kelly presented an episode of the BBC One series Women at War: 100 Years of Service.
• In December 2017, she spoke about her mental health struggles on a BBC Radio 4 show called All in the Mind.
• Since September 2022, Kelly has been a regular panelist on the ITV talk show Loose Women.

Cafe 1809 and The 1809 Hub

In 2014, Kelly opened a cafe and community center in Hildenborough. She named it Cafe 1809 after her 2004 Olympics bib number. She opened another branch in Gravesend in 2017, but it closed a few months later.

In October 2018, Kelly announced that the Hildenborough cafe would close. It later reopened as The 1809 Hub, a place for events and community gatherings.

Artistic Recognition

• In 2012, Kelly was one of five Olympians chosen for a series of body-casting artworks by Louise Giblin.
• In 2017, a statue of Kelly Holmes by sculptor Guy Portelli was put up in Tonbridge.

Images for kids

• 

  Holmes at the 2004 Summer Olympics

• 

  Holmes on parade

See also

In Spanish: Kelly Holmes para niños