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 59) 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 4 × 400 m relay World Championships Gold 1993 Stuttgart 400 m hurdles Silver 1991 Tokyo 400 m hurdles Bronze 1993 Stuttgart 4 × 400 m relay Goodwill Games Gold 1994 Saint Petersburg 400 m hurdles IAAF World Cup Gold 1994 London 400 m hurdles Gold 1994 London 4 × 400 m relay Bronze 1989 Barcelona 400 m hurdles European Championships Gold 1994 Helsinki 400 m hurdles Bronze 1990 Split 4 × 400 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 4 × 400 m relay Gold 1994 Victoria 400 m hurdles Gold 1994 Victoria 4 × 400 m relay Silver 1990 Auckland 100 m hurdles

Sally Gunnell is a famous British athlete who won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. She was amazing at the 400 metres hurdles event. Between 1992 and 1994, Sally won almost every major international competition. She even broke the British, European, and World records in her event!

Sally is the only British female athlete to win all four big titles: the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, and Commonwealth Games. She was also the first female 400 metres hurdler to win both Olympic and World titles and break the world record. Her world record time of 52.74 seconds from 1993 is still the fastest ever by a British woman. Because of her incredible achievements, she was named World and European Female Athlete of the Year in 1993.

Early Life and Beginnings

Sally Gunnell was born on July 29, 1966, in Chigwell, Essex, England. She grew up on her family's large farm. Sally went to local schools in Chigwell, including West Hatch High.

She started her athletics journey with the Essex Ladies club. At first, she was good at long jump and heptathlon, which is a competition with seven different events. Later, she decided to focus on hurdling.

Early Hurdles Success

In 1984, Sally almost made it to the Olympics for both heptathlon and the 100 metres hurdles. She set a new UK junior record in the 100 metres hurdles.

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

Becoming a 400m Hurdles Star

Sally first tried the 400 metres hurdles in 1987. In 1988, her first full year doing the event, she made it to the Olympic final in Seoul. She broke the UK record twice during those Olympics, finishing fifth in the final.

In 1989, Sally won the European Indoor title for the 400 metres. She also placed well in outdoor 400 metres hurdles races, including third at the World Cup. In January 1990, she won the Commonwealth title in Auckland.

Breaking Records and Winning Gold

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.

The 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona were a huge moment for Sally. She won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles! She also helped the British team win a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay race.

In 1993, Sally reached the peak of her career. She set a new world record in the 400 metres hurdles at the World Championships in Stuttgart. She won the gold medal with an incredible time of 52.74 seconds. This record was later broken, but it is still the fastest time ever by a British woman.

Continuing Success and Retirement

In 1994, Sally added the European title to her collection. She also won the Goodwill Games, defended her Commonwealth title, and won the World Cup title. This was her third year in a row as the world's top 400 metres hurdler.

Unfortunately, Sally had to miss most of 1995 due to an injury. She never fully recovered from it. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, she had to stop during the semi-finals because of her injury. This happened on her 30th birthday. In September 1997, Sally decided to retire from athletics after her Achilles tendon injury kept coming back.

Sally Gunnell is still the only woman to have won the European, World, Commonwealth, and Olympic 400-metre hurdles titles.

Life After Athletics

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

Sally has appeared on other TV shows too. In 1997, she was featured on the programme This is Your Life. She also took part in a celebrity version of Total Wipeout in 2010 and won £20,000 for charity on The Cube in 2012.

Awards and Recognition

Sally Gunnell has received several important awards. In 1993, she 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 awards recognize her amazing contributions to sport.

In 2011, Sally was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex. In 2012, she was one of five Olympians chosen for a special art project where their bodies were cast into sculptures.

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.

Images for kids

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  Sally Gunnell in 1995

See also

In Spanish: Sally Gunnell para niños