Montell Douglas
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 January 1986 Lewisham, London |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Great Britain |
| Club | Blackheath and Bromley Brunel University |
| Turned pro | 2007 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 60 m 7.25 100 m 11.05 200 m 23.38 |
| Updated on `8 July 2008 | |
Montell Marcelle Douglas (born 24 January 1986) is a British sportswoman. Originally a sprinter and former British record holder for the 100 metres at 11.05 seconds, in 2017 she took up bobsleigh, and became part of the Great Britain women's two-woman bobsleigh team the following year.
Athletics career
Douglas made her first senior major championship appearance at the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Although she was knocked out in the semi-finals, she managed to set a new 60 metres personal best of 7.28 seconds.
She was part of the British 4 x 100 metres relay team that finished fourth at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka (along with Laura Turner, Joice Maduaka and Emily Freeman). At the same championships, she competed in the 100 m individual event but was eliminated in the quarter-finals stage.
In the 2008 season, she finished second behind Jeanette Kwakye in the women's 100 m at the British Championships. At the Loughborough European Athletics meeting on 17 July, during the semi-final she ran a wind-assisted (+2.6 m/s) time of 10.95 seconds. However, it was her legal wind performance in the final which was more important: Douglas broke Kathy Cook's British record with a time of 11.05 seconds. Douglas had improved her personal best by almost a quarter of a second, and broken a national record which had stood unbeaten for over a quarter of a century in the process.[1]
2008 Summer Olympics
Douglas represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics, in the 100 metres. In her first round heat she placed second behind Ivet Lalova in a time of 11.36 to advance to the second round. There she failed to qualify for the semi-finals as her time of 11.38 was only the fourth fastest time of her heat, causing elimination.[2] She was also part of the Great Britain team which reached the final of the 4x100 metres relay, and which (along with the Jamaican team) were favourites to claim a medal. Jeanette 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 Douglas and Emily Freeman. Jamaica also failed to finish after a similar error between Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.[3]
Outside Athletics
Douglas appeared on the game show Who Dares Wins on 14 January 2011 and won £12,500.[4]
Personal bests
| Event | Best | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres | 7.25 s | Newham, England | 13 February 2013 |
| 100 metres | 11.05 s | Loughborough, England | 17 July 2008 |
| 200 metres (outdoor) | 23.34 s | La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland | 28 June 2009 |
| 200 metres (indoor) | 23.93 s | Birmingham, England | 20 February 2005 |
- All information taken from IAAF profile.[5]
References
- ^ Douglas sets new GB 100m record. BBC Sport (17 July 2008). Retrieved on 12 May 2009.
- ^ Athlete biography: Montell Douglas, beijing2008.cn, ret: 27 August 2008
- ^ "Russia claim surprise relay gold". BBC Sport. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ [BBC Who Dares Wins Series 5, Episode 2]
- ^ Douglas Montell Biography. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 May 2009.
External links
- 1986 births
- Living people
- English female sprinters
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
- Black British sportspeople
- Olympic athletes of Great Britain
- Alumni of Brunel University London
- Alumni of Middlesex University
- People from the London Borough of Lewisham
- British female sprinters
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- English female bobsledders