Melissa Courtney

Melissa Courtney (born 30 August 1993) is a British middle-distance runner who competes in the 1500 metres and 5000m. She holds personal bests of 4:03.44 minutes for the 1500m and 14:53.82 for the 5000m.[3]

Melissa Courtney
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1993-08-30) 30 August 1993
Poole
Height1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight53 kg (117 lb)[2]
Sport
CountryWales and Great Britain
SportAthletics
Event(s)1500 metres
ClubPoole Athletic Club
Coached byRob Denmark
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m: 2:04.03 (2017)
1500 m: 4:03.44 (2018)

3000 m: 8:39.20 (2018)

5000 m: 14:53.82 (2019)
Medal record
Representing  Wales
 Great Britain
Women's athletics
Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold Coast1500 m
European Athletics Indoor Championships
2019 Glasgow3000 m

Born in Poole, Dorset, she initially focused on swimming, but switched to running . She joined Poole Athletic Club (Poole AC) and worked under coach Mark Pauley from the age of twelve, as well as her father Mark as more runners joined the club. She credits her partner and fellow athlete, Ashley Bryant, which encouraging her to up her performance after a period of stagnation. After graduating from Brunel University London with a degree in sports psychology, she moved to train at Loughborough in 2017 to work with Rob Denmark.[4][2][5]

Courtney made big improvements to her 800 m and 1500 m bests in 2013 and won the latter event at the BUCS Championships indoor and out that year. In the 2014 indoor season she won the Welsh indoor title and placed third at the 2014 British Indoor Athletics Championships. The 2015 season saw her drop her 800 m and 1500 m bests to 2:05.48 and 4:09.74 minutes and she made her international debut at the 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships, placing tenth in the 1500 m. Though she placed seventh nationally at the 2016 British Athletics Championships, she ran a best of 4:07.55 minutes and gained selection for the 2016 European Athletics Championships, competing in the first round only.[6] She teamed up with Cameron Boyek, Sarah McDonald, and Tom Marshall to take a gold medal in the inaugural mixed relay event at the 2017 European Cross Country Championships.[7]

After winning the 1500 m British Universities title, she represented Great Britain at the 2017 Universiade and placed fifth in the final.[6] The winter, she travelled to train in Iten in Kenya.[8] Courtney was chosen to represent Wales at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and she came away with the bronze medal in a personal best time of 4:03.44 minutes, beaten only by Caster Semenya and Beatrice Chepkoech.[9]

She won the 3000m event at the Karlsruhe meeting of the 2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour with a time of 8:43.36. In March that year she took bronze over the same distance in the European Indoor Championships, setting her personal best in the process.

Personal bests

International competitions
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2015 European U23 Championships Tallinn, Estonia 10th 1500 m 4:17.49
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 18th (h) 1500 m 4:18.74
2017 Universiade Taipei, Taiwan 5th 1500 m 4:21.14
European Cross Country Championships Šamorín, Slovakia 1st Mixed relay 18:24
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 3rd 1500 m 4:03.44
9th 5000 m 15:46.60
European Championships Berlin, Germany 5th 5000 m 15:04.75
2019 European Indoor Championships Glasgow, UK 3rd 3000 m 8:38.22

References
  1. Melissa Courtney. European Athletics. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  2. Melissa Courtney. GC2018. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  3. Melissa Courtney. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  4. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Weekly Newsletter Thursday 9 February 2017. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. Payne, Ned (2016-07-08). Athletics: Student Melissa Courtney sets heart on European Championships final... and deadline extension. Bournemouth Daily Echo. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. Melissa Courtney. Power of 10. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  7. Senior Mixed relay. European Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-12-15.
  8. The simple life in Kenya| Melissa Courtney. EightLane (2018-01-12). Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  9. Commonwealth Games: Caster Semenya wins 1500m gold, Melissa Courtney third. BBC Sport (2018-04-10). Retrieved 2018-04-11.
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