Tasha Danvers facts for kids
 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 September 1977 Lambeth, London, England |
||||||||||||||||
| Height | 173 cm | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Women's athletics | ||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Club | Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers USC Trojans |
||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2007 World Championships – 8th | ||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 2000– 8th 2008 – 3rd |
||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | 6 (2006/2007) | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 400 m hurdles: 53.84 s | ||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Updated on 20 January 2007. | |||||||||||||||||
Tasha De'Anka Danvers is a British athlete who won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She finished third in the 400 metres hurdles event. Tasha was born in London on September 19, 1977. Her parents, Dorrett McKoy and Donald Danvers, were also athletes. They both moved to the United Kingdom from Jamaica when they were children.
Contents
Tasha Danvers' Athletics Journey
Tasha Danvers became a British champion in the 400 metres hurdles in 1998. She won the British AAA Championships title that year.
Early Career and First Olympics
In 1999, Tasha represented Great Britain at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics. She gained important experience there, even though she did not qualify for the later rounds. This experience helped her a lot for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
At 23 years old, Tasha reached the final of her first Olympic Games. She finished in 8th place in the 400 metres hurdles. The next year, she won the 400 m hurdles at the 2001 Summer Universiade.
Commonwealth and European Championships
After winning another British title in 2002, Tasha competed in her first Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She finished 7th in the final. Later that year, she also placed 7th at the 2002 European Athletics Championships.
In 2003, Tasha married her coach, Darrell Smith. For a few years, she was known as Tasha Danvers-Smith. She went back to using her maiden name, Danvers, in 2008.
Returning to the Track
Tasha missed the 2004 Olympics because she took time off to have a baby. Some people thought she might not return to competitive athletics. However, she made a strong comeback in 2006. She won a silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She also finished 7th in the final of the 2006 European Athletics Championships. By the end of 2006, she was ranked 6th in the world for her event.
College Success and Hall of Fame
While studying at the University of Southern California (USC), Tasha was a very successful athlete. She won several titles in the Pac-10 conference. She competed in various events, including the high jump and 100 metres hurdles. In 2000, she won the NCAA title. Tasha still holds the USC school record in the 400 hurdles. She also has top 10 records in the 100 metres hurdles and high jump.
In February 2007, Tasha Danvers was honored by being inducted into the USC Hall of Fame.
Road to Olympic Bronze
In 2007, Tasha reached her first World Championship final. She finished 8th in the 400 metres hurdles. She ended that season ranked 10th in the world. She was also the top British 400 m hurdler for the second year in a row. Tasha won her fourth and final British title in 2007.
The start of Tasha's 2008 season was tough due to injuries. She had problems with her Achilles tendon and tore her hamstring. At the British championships that year, she finished 2nd. Despite this, Tasha was selected for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
At the Olympics, Tasha performed incredibly well. She won her heat and finished 2nd in her semi-final. This made her the fourth fastest qualifier for the 400 m hurdles final. In the final, Tasha was in lane 7. She pushed hard and found herself in third place as she entered the final straight. She kept her speed and won a bronze medal! She set a new personal best time of 53.84 seconds.
Tasha missed the 2009 World Championships in Athletics because of another injury. In June 2012, she decided to retire from athletics due to ongoing injury problems.
Beyond the Track
Tasha Danvers is also a talented artist. She is a member of Art of the Olympians (AOTO), an organization for Olympic athletes who are also artists. She has been singing since she was young and now paints canvases. Her artwork is available for sale.
Tasha is also a public speaker, coach, and personal trainer. She has also worked as a fitness model. When she was younger, she competed for Croydon in the London Youth Games. She has also appeared on the BBC show A Question of Sport. In June 2015, Tasha was a contestant on the American TV show Bullseye.
Personal Bests
These are Tasha Danvers' best times and distances in different events:
- 300 m: 37.80 seconds (2000)
- 400 m: 52.89 seconds (2008)
- 100 m hurdles: 12.96 seconds (2003)
- 400 m hurdles: 53.84 seconds (2008)
- High jump: 1.82 meters (1998)
See also
In Spanish: Tasha Danvers para niños
