Jeanette Kwakye
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Born | 20 March 1983 London Borough of Waltham Forest, England |
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| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 61 kilograms (130 lb) | ||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Country |  Great Britain |
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| Club | Woodford Green with Essex Ladies | ||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2005 | ||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||
| World finals | 2008 Indoor - 2nd | ||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 2008 - 6th | ||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | 60 m: 2(2008) 100 m: 9(2008) 200 m: 45(2007) |
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| Personal best(s) | 60 m 7.08 100 m 11.14 200 m 23.11 |
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Medal record
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| Updated on August 17, 2008. | |||||||||||||
Jeanette Boahemaa Kwakye (born 20 March 1983) is a British sprinter of Ghanaian origin.
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[edit] Athletics career
Kwakye won a bronze medal in 4x100 metres relay at the 2002 World Junior Championships, with teammates Jade Lucas-Read, Amy Spencer and Vernicha James. At the 2007 European Indoor Championships she finished fourth in the 60 metres. In the semi-final she recorded a time of 7.17 seconds, this being the fastest time by a British woman in the 60m since 1986.
Kwakye, became the 2007 British Champion over 100m in a time of 11.59, beating Laura Turner (who recorded the same time) and defending champion Joice Maduaka. The next day, she also won the 200m title, after beating Emily Freeman and Donna Fraser, who took silver and bronze, respectively.
In the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia Kwakye equalled the British 60m record of 7.13 by Beverly Kinch in her semi-final before smashing it with a superb 7.08 run to claim silver behind American Angela Williams who won in 7.06, this placing Kwakye as number 2 in the 2008 world female rankings.
On 12 July 2008, Kwakye defended her British 100m title, whilst also winning the Olympic trials, and was accordingly automatically selected to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Her time of 11.26 equalled her then lifetime best.[1]
[edit] 2008 Summer Olympics
In the heats of the 100 metres, Kwakye finished in second place behind Torri Edwards, clocking a time of 11.30 seconds, allowing her to progress through to the quarter-final stage. In the quarter-final, she was beaten to the line by Shelly-Ann Fraser and Evgeniya Polyakova, but still qualified for the semi-final by finishing in third place. In the semi-final on 17 August 2008, Kwakye finished third, with a time of 11.19. She became the first British woman to reach the 100 metres final since Heather Oakes in 1984.[2] At these Olympics, Kwakye was also the only European athlete to appear in the final. In the final, she clocked 11.14, a personal best, to finish in sixth place, ahead of Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas and Torri Edwards of the USA.[3]
Great Britain reached the final of the 4x100 metres relay, and along with the Jamaican team, were favourites to claim a medal. Kwakye ran a good first bend in the final, but the British team failed to finish due to a mix-up in the changeover between Montell Douglas and Emily Freeman. Jamaica also failed to finish after a similar error between Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.[4]
[edit] Personal life
Both of Kwakye's parents were born in the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. The Kwakye family moved to England in the early 1980s. Kwakye's younger brother, Louis, is also involved in National athletics.[2]
Kwakye is a graduate of Loughborough University where she attained a degree in Politics and Economics in 2005.[5] She is close friends with singer Estelle.[2]
[edit] Personal bests
Updated 26 April 2009
| Event | Time | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres | 7.08 s | Valencia, Spain | 7 March 2008 |
| 100 metres | 11.14 s | Beijing, China | 17 August 2008 |
| 200 metres | 23.11 s | Cuxhaven, Germany | 14 July 2007 |
All information taken from IAAF profile.[6]
| Preceded by Joice Maduaka Laura Turner |
British Champion in 100m 2007, 2008 2011 |
Succeeded by Joice Maduaka 'incumbent |
[edit] References
- ^ "Sprinter Kwakye ready for Beijing". BBC Sport. 2008-07-23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/athletics/7521216.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ a b c Broadbent, Rick (2008-08-18). "Jeanette Kwakye looks to 2012 after 100m success". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4552474.ece. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ "Fraser leads Jamaica 100m sweep". BBC Sport. 2008-08-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/athletics/7566834.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ "Russia claim surprise relay gold". BBC Sport. 2008-05-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/athletics/7576696.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ "Kwakye sixth in 100m". Loughborough Echo. 2008-08-21. http://www.loughboroughecho.net/loughborough-sport/other-sport/2008/08/21/kwakye-sixth-in-100m-73871-21579181/. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ Kwakye Jeanette biography. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-04-26.
