Sally Gunnell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sally Gunnell, OBE, DL

Gunnell in 1995
Personal information
Full name	Sally Jane Janet Gunnell
Nationality	English
Born	(1966-07-29) 29 July 1966 (age 58) Chigwell, Essex, England
Residence	Steyning, West Sussex, England
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Weight	57.5 kg (9 st 1 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	400 m hurdles
Club	Essex Ladies
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona 400 m hurdles Bronze 1992 Barcelona 4x400 m relay World Championships Gold 1993 Stuttgart 400 m hurdles Silver 1991 Tokyo 400 m hurdles Bronze 1993 Stuttgart 4x400 m relay Goodwill Games Gold 1994 Saint Petersburg 400 m hurdles IAAF World Cup Gold 1994 London 400 m hurdles Gold 1994 London 4x400 m relay Bronze 1989 Barcelona 400 m hurdles European Championships Gold 1994 Helsinki 400 m hurdles Bronze 1990 Split 4x400 m relay European Cup Gold 1993 Rome 400 m hurdles Gold 1994 Birmingham 400 m hurdles Gold 1996 Madrid 400 m hurdles Gold 1997 Munich 400 m hurdles Silver 1989 Gateshead 400 m hurdles Silver 1991 Frankfurt 400 m hurdles European Indoor Championships Gold 1989 The Hague 400 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1986 Edinburgh 100 m hurdles Gold 1990 Auckland 400 m hurdles Gold 1990 Auckland 4x400 m relay Gold 1994 Victoria 400 m hurdles Gold 1994 Victoria 4x400 m relay Silver 1990 Auckland 100 m hurdles

Sally Jane Janet Gunnell (born 29 July 1966) is a famous British former track-and-field athlete. She was active in sports from 1984 to 1997. Sally is best known for winning the Olympic gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles in 1992.

Between 1992 and 1994, Sally won every major international competition in her event. This included the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, and Commonwealth Games. She also broke the British, European, and World records for the 400 metres hurdles.

Sally Gunnell is the only British female athlete to have won all four 'major' titles. These are the Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth championships. She was also the first female 400 metres hurdler ever to win both the Olympic and World titles and break the world record. Her world record time of 52.74 seconds from 1993 is still the British record today. In 1993, she was named World and European Female Athlete of the Year. She was also honored with an MBE in 1993 and an OBE in 1998.

Early Life and Beginnings

Sally Gunnell was born in Chigwell, Essex, England. Her parents are Les and Rosemary Gunnell. She grew up on her family's large farm. Sally went to local schools in Chigwell, including West Hatch High.

Athletics Career Highlights

Sally started her athletics journey with the Essex Ladies club. She was good at long jump and heptathlon (a seven-event competition). Later, she decided to focus on hurdling. In 1984, she almost made it to the Olympics for both heptathlon and the 100 metres hurdles. She even set a new UK junior record in the 100 metres hurdles.

Winning Gold in the 100m Hurdles

In 1986, Sally won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles. This happened in Edinburgh. She was the top UK athlete in this event for the next four years. She reached the semi-finals at the 1987 World Championships and the 1988 Olympics.

Switching to 400m Hurdles

Sally first tried the 400 metres hurdles in 1987. In 1988, she reached the Olympic final in Seoul. She broke the UK record twice during these Olympics. She finished fifth in the final.

In 1989, Sally won the European Indoor title for the 400 metres. In 1990, she won the Commonwealth title in Auckland.

World Records and Olympic Glory

Sally's career really took off in 1991. She broke her own UK record for the 400 metres hurdles three times. At the World Championships in Tokyo, she won a silver medal. Her time was the third fastest ever at that point.

Sally won the 400 m hurdles at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. She also helped the British team win a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay race.

In 1993, Sally reached her peak. She set a new world record in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the gold at the World Championships in Stuttgart. Her winning time was 52.74 seconds. This record was later broken in 1995, but it is still the British record. Sally was the first female 400 metres hurdler to win both Olympic and World titles and break the world record.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1994, Sally won the European title. She also won the Goodwill Games. She successfully defended her Commonwealth title and won the World Cup title. This was her third year as the world's number one athlete.

Sally missed most of 1995 due to an injury. She never fully recovered from it. In 1996, her attempt to defend her Olympic title in Atlanta ended early due to injury. This happened on her 30th birthday. She also worked as a Red Cross ambassador in Angola that year. In September 1997, she retired from athletics. This was because of a recurring Achilles tendon injury.

Sally Gunnell is still the only woman to have won the European, World, Commonwealth, and Olympic 400-metre hurdles titles. Today, she works as an ambassador for McCain's Track & Field. This is a partnership with UK Athletics.

Life After Athletics

After retiring from sports, Sally Gunnell became a television presenter. She worked mainly for the BBC until 2006. She also hosted a game show called Body Heat on ITV.

Sally was a guest on the ITV show You Bet! in 1993–94. She won money for a charity that works to find a cure for breast cancer. In 1997, she was featured on the TV program This is Your Life.

In 2006, she took part in a celebrity showjumper event for Sport Relief. She also won a Weakest Link Sporting Heroes Special in 2009. In 2010, she was on a celebrity version of Total Wipeout. In 2012, Sally appeared on ITV's The Cube and won £20,000 for her charity.

Awards and Honors

In 1993, Sally Gunnell was made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). In 1998, she was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire). These are special honors given in the UK. In 2011, Sally was also appointed Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex.

In 2012, Sally was one of five Olympians chosen for a series of body-casting artworks. These artworks were made by artist Louise Giblin. They were shown in London, and copies were sold to help the charity Headfirst.

Personal Life

Sally Gunnell is married to Jonathan Bigg, who was also an athlete. They have three sons named Finley, Luca, and Marley. The family lives near Brighton in East Sussex.

National Athletics Titles

Sally Gunnell won many national titles during her career:

• She was a 7-time champion in the 100 metres hurdles at the AAAs (1986–1989, 1991–1993).
• She won the 400 metres hurdles twice at the AAAs (1988, 1996).
• She was a 2-time UK Champion in the 100 metres hurdles (1986) and 400 metres hurdles (1997).
• She was a 2-time AAAs Indoor Champion in the 200 metres (1987) and 400 metres (1988).

See also

In Spanish: Sally Gunnell para niños