Perri Shakes-Drayton
![]() Perri Shakes-Drayton in 2010 | |
Personal information | |
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Born | [1] London, England | 21 December 1988
Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) |
Sport | |
Country | ![]() |
Sport | Women's athletics |
Club | Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal bests |
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Medal record |
Peirresha Alexandra Shakes-Drayton (born 21 December 1988) is a British retired track and field athlete. After specialising in the 400 metres hurdles in the early part of her career, a knee injury at the 2013 World Championships forced Shakes-Drayton to concentrate on the 400 metres on her return to athletics.[2] She is the 2013 European Indoor Champion in the 400 metres and won a 2012 World Indoor Championship gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. She has also won silver and bronze medals in the 4 × 400 m relay at the World Championships.
In 2018, Shakes-Drayton took part in the tenth series of the ITV show Dancing on Ice.
Personal life
[edit]Shakes-Drayton was born in east London to Christian parents from Grenada, and grew up in Bow, where she continues to reside.[3] She attended Holy Family R.C. Primary School in Poplar and Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate School in Stepney.[3] She studied sports science at Brunel University,[3] where she graduated with a 2:1. She married high-jump athlete Mike Olayemi Edwards in London in June 2019. Shakes-Drayton gave birth to her first child with Edwards on 26 August 2020.[4] Shakes-Drayton is an honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; she was inducted on July 27, 2024 at the sorority's Boulé in Indianapolis, Indiana. [5]
Athletics career
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Shakes-Drayton_at_2010_Josef_Odlozil_Memorial.jpg/220px-Shakes-Drayton_at_2010_Josef_Odlozil_Memorial.jpg)
Shakes-Drayton came to prominence at the English Schools Championships where she set a UK junior record time in the 400 m hurdles.[6] She made her first major international appearance at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics where she finished eighth, achieving a new personal best of 57.52 seconds.[7] She took the silver medal at the 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships with a time of 56.46 s, a national junior record in the event.[8][9]
Shakes-Drayton won the 400 m hurdles at the 2008 Olympic Games GB trials, but veteran Tasha Danvers was instead chosen to represent Great Britain, and went on to win the bronze medal.[10] Despite the non-selection, Shakes-Drayton was considered to be a medal prospect for the next Olympics in 2012.[7] At the 2009 British Championships in Birmingham, she finished second in the 400 metres behind reigning world champion Christine Ohuruogu, setting a new personal best. Further success came on the junior circuit at the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships, where she won the 400 m hurdles gold medal with a run of 55.26 seconds, another personal best. Having secured a place on the Great Britain team, she set her sights on the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, remarking: "I like people talking about me. It means I must be doing some things right. Now I have to live up to the hype because hype is pointless if you don't live up to it."[11]
She ran at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin and reached the semi-finals of the competition. However, she finished seventh in the race with a time of 57.57 seconds and did not compete in the final. She ran a personal best of 54.91 seconds for the 400 m hurdles to win at the Memorial Primo Nebiolo in June 2010.[12]
In the absence of Tasha Danvers, Shakes-Drayton and Eilidh Child were the sole representatives for Great Britain at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. Shakes-Drayton finished 2nd in her heat, with a time of 55.35. She then finished 3rd in her semi-final to qualify for the final in a new personal best of 54.73. In the final she finished third to win the bronze medal with a new personal best of 54.18.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Perri_Shakes-Drayton_-_400m_Match_-_England_6_-_2.jpg/220px-Perri_Shakes-Drayton_-_400m_Match_-_England_6_-_2.jpg)
At the 2012 London Grand Prix, the final Diamond League meeting prior to the 2012 London Olympic Games, Shakes-Drayton recorded another personal best for the 400 m hurdles of 53.77, a time that put her second in the world rankings for the year and also made her the second-fastest British athlete of all time in the event, behind only Sally Gunnell.[13] However, in the Olympic 400 m hurdles she was unable to reach the final, finishing third in her semi-final heat.[14] She was also part of the GB 4 × 400 m relay team which finished fifth in the final of that event.[15]
At the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, Shakes-Drayton went on to win gold in the Women's 400 m final with a Personal Best of 50.85, ahead of another Great Britain runner Eilidh Child. She was also part of the Women's 4 × 400 m team (along with Eilidh Child, Shana Cox and Christine Ohuruogu) that won gold at the same championships.[16]
In 2020, she announced her retirement from her athletics career.[17]
Personal bests
[edit]Event | Time (sec) | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|
60 metres | 7.44 | London, United Kingdom | 18 January 2009[18] |
400 metres | 50.50 | Gateshead, United Kingdom | 22 June 2013[19] |
400 metres hurdles | 53.67 | London, United Kingdom | 26 July 2013 |
400 metres (indoor) | 50.85 | Gothenburg, Sweden | 3 March 2013 |
References
[edit]- ^ Biography Shakes-Drayton Perri. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
- ^ Knee injury forces Perri Shakes-Drayton to switch from 400 metres hurdles to running one lap on the flat Telegraph. 02-12-2013. Retrieved 13-07-2014.
- ^ a b c Fahy, Dylan (3 August 2012). "Team GB hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton pledges to 'run her heart out'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "BBNaija's Mike Edwards And Wife Perri Welcome First Child". 27 August 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Announces Newest Class of Honorary Members
- ^ Kervin, Alison (2 March 2009).Olympics: Great Britain's female medal hopes begin to feel the pressure[dead link]. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
- ^ a b future Olympics stars. Time Out (23 July 2007). Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
- ^ European Athletics Junior Championships – Medallists by Event.European Athletic Association. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ European Athletics Junior Championships – Records Set. European Athletic Association. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Britain's Tasha Danvers wins 400m hurdles bronze". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020.
- ^ Majendie, Matt (24 July 2009).Perri Shakes-Drayton is promising to live up to the hype. London Evening Standard. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
- ^ Sampaolo, Diego (13 June 2010).Kaki scorches 1:43.48, Robles improves to 13.08 in Turin. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-14.
- ^ "Scots star Eilidh Child blown away by 400m hurdles rival Perri Shakes-Drayton at Diamond League meeting". Daily Record. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "London 2012 hurdles: Perri Shakes-Drayton loses final place". BBC Sport. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "4x400m relay: USA win fifth successive Olympic title". BBC Sport. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "Perri Shakes-Drayton wins double gold in European Indoors". BBC Sport. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Perri Shakes-Drayton announces retirement". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
- ^ Stars of 2009: Perri Shakes Drayton. BBC Sport (20 February 2009). Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Bolt over Powell, Idowu tops world list, Felix goes sub-50". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Living people
- 1988 births
- People from Bow, London
- Athletes from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- English female hurdlers
- British female hurdlers
- English female sprinters
- British female sprinters
- Olympic female hurdlers
- Olympic female sprinters
- Olympic athletes for Great Britain
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain
- Commonwealth Games competitors for England
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
- World Athletics Championships medalists
- World Athletics Indoor Championships winners
- European Athletics Championships winners
- European Athletics Championships medalists
- European Athletics Indoor Championships winners
- British Athletics Championships winners
- Black British sportswomen
- Alumni of Brunel University London
- English people of Grenadian descent
- Sportspeople of Grenadian descent