Katherine Merry
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21 September 1974 Dunchurch, Warwickshire |
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Katharine Merry (born 21 September 1974 in Dunchurch, Warwickshire) is a former English female sprinter. A member of the Birchfield Harriers athletics club, Merry won a bronze medal in the 400 m sprint at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and was the fastest woman in the World over 400 m in 2001. She also represented Great Britain at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 1999 World Championships in Athletics.
Merry had a career that spanned 20 years. Aged 12 she topped the UK Under 13 rankings in 7 different events. She was the fastest girl in the world aged 14 years old, and started her international GB career aged just 13, and stayed on the junior team for a record 6 years, which included 5 Junior Championships, winning a total of 6 medals. She transferred into a successful senior athlete with her Olympic medal in Sydney, in the 'Race of the Games' winning bronze behind Australian favourite Cathy Freeman in Stadium Australia in front of 112,000 people. The following year she became World number 1. She was coached by fellow Olympic medallist Linford Christie in his Cardiff based training squad, which included fellow Olympic medallist Darren Campbell. She is also with Christie's sports agency Nuff Respect. Merry still holds various UK age record bests, including U/13 high jump and several sprints, as well as the Senior UK Indoor 200 m record of 22.83 secs. Also World age records, including aged 14, 7.35 secs for 60 m indoors.
She is 3rd on the UK All Time 400 m lists with 49.59 secs.
After suffering from a bone spur growth on her right heel bone, and after 2 operations, in July 2005 Merry announced her official retirement from athletics. She had been suffering from the injury since 2001 and was struggling to get it healed fully. It had prevented her from getting back into proper training, meaning she could not get back to her year 2000 form. Despite this, she still ended the 2001 season as the world's fastest female 400 m runner.
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