Ben Challenger
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| Born | 7 March 1978 Loughborough, Leicestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Benjamin Arthur Challenger (born 7 March 1978) is a retired English high jumper. His personal best jump of 2.30 metres was achieved when he won the 1999 Summer Universiade. His career highlight is a silver medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
Born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, Challenger attended Shepshed High School and later he studied sports science at Loughborough University (a course he later abandoned in favour of full-time high jump training).[1] As a youth he considered a career in basketball, and toured the US with the Leicester Riders, leading to offers from NBA talent scouts acting for US universities, which he turned down.
He is the son of the Showaddywaddy drummer, Romeo Challenger, and the brother of singer Tamzin Challenger. However, contrary to popular belief he is not the half-brother of footballer Dion Dublin, who according to some incorrect sources is the son of Romeo Challenger.[2]
In 2012, Challenger married recruitment consultant and fitness instructor Lucy Misch, a former model and actress;[3] together they run Studio Challenger in Berkshire, a pilates school.[4]
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain and  England
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| 1996 | World Junior Championships | Sydney, Australia | 2nd | 2.21 m | |
| 1997 | European Junior Championships | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 2nd | 2.20 m | |
| Universiade | Catania, Italy | 11th | 2.10 m | ||
| 1998 | European Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 10th | 2.22 m | |
| Commonwealth Games | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 2nd | 2.28 m | ||
| 1999 | Universiade | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | 1st | 2.30 m | |
| European U23 Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 1st | 2.30 m | ||
| World Championships | Seville, Spain | 25th (q) | 2.20 m | ||
| 2000 | European Indoor Championships | Ghent, Belgium | 14th (q) | 2.16 m | |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 17th (q) | 2.20 m | |
| 2002 | Commonwealth Games | Manchester, United Kingdom | 3rd | 2.25 m | |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 16th (q) | 2.15 m | ||
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 14th (q) | 2.24 m | |
| 2006 | Commonwealth Games | Melbourne, Australia | 8th | 2.15 m | |
References
- ^ "Interview: Ben Challenger | Special reports". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
- ^ "Dion's looking forward to spending more time with his family - and playing his saxophones!". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ Deaconu, Adrian. "About". Lucychallener.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "Pilates: Personal Trainer & Coach - Studio Challenger". Studiochallenger.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
External links
World University Games champions in men's high jump | |
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- 1978 births
- Living people
- People from Loughborough
- English male high jumpers
- Olympic athletes of Great Britain
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Alumni of Loughborough University
- English people of Antigua and Barbuda descent
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
- Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England
- Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Universiade gold medalists for Great Britain
- Medalists at the 1999 Summer Universiade