Bronwyn Thompson
Encyclopedia
Bronwyn Thompson is a long jump
er from Australia
. She holds the Commonwealth and Australian record for the long jump and has been ranked as high as number two in the world. Her greatest achievements include winning gold in the long jump at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
and placing fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games
. However Bronwyn has suffered numerous injury setbacks during her career and retired at the end of the 2008/09 Australian domestic season
Bronwyn was born in Rockhampton
as the youngest of four children and moved to her current home of Brisbane
, Australia
during primary school. As a child she excelled at both athletics and volleyball
, but eventually chose to focus on athletics. She missed selection on the Australian team for the long jump at the 1996 World Junior Championships
, which resulted in her decision to take a break from athletics and concentrate on her studies.
After completing a degree in physiotherapy Bronwyn returned to athletics in 2000, and later that year represented Australia in the long jump at the 2000 Olympic Games
in Sydney
, narrowly missing a place in the final. Her performance was hampered by a large tumor which had been discovered in her take off foot, and after the games Bronwyn underwent surgery to have it removed. In 2001 her performances continued to improve, and she broke the Australian long jump record, previously held by Nicole Boegman
. In 2002 Bronwyn improved her Australian record with a jump of 7.00m, which remains her personal best. She was again restricted by injury at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester
, finishing sixth in the long jump despite going in as the favourite. At the 2003 World Championships
in Paris
, Bronwyn finished seventh in the final, despite further injury concerns.
Bronwyn carried good form into the 2004 Olympic Games
in Athens
and produced a best jump of 6.96m, but narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth behind a trio of Russian athletes. A week later however, Bronwyn suffered a horrific knee injury at a meet in Rieti
, Italy
, which threatened to end her career. It took more than a year for her to return to competition, but at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne
she was able to once again produce her best form and dominated the long jump to win gold with a leap of 6.97m. Bronwyn went on to represent Australia at both the 2007 World Championships
and the 2008 Olympic Games
, but was unable to qualify for the final at either event.
Bronwyn has continued to practice as a pediatric physiotherapist in addition to her athletics career, as well as serving as a director of Athletics Australia via her position as chairperson of the Athletes Commission. She has been coached by Gary Bourne since 2000, and was married to husband Jason Chipperfield in 2006.
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
er from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She holds the Commonwealth and Australian record for the long jump and has been ranked as high as number two in the world. Her greatest achievements include winning gold in the long jump at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
and placing fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. However Bronwyn has suffered numerous injury setbacks during her career and retired at the end of the 2008/09 Australian domestic season
Bronwyn was born in Rockhampton
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
as the youngest of four children and moved to her current home of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
during primary school. As a child she excelled at both athletics and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, but eventually chose to focus on athletics. She missed selection on the Australian team for the long jump at the 1996 World Junior Championships
1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 1996 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Sydney, Australia.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com...
, which resulted in her decision to take a break from athletics and concentrate on her studies.
After completing a degree in physiotherapy Bronwyn returned to athletics in 2000, and later that year represented Australia in the long jump at the 2000 Olympic Games
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, narrowly missing a place in the final. Her performance was hampered by a large tumor which had been discovered in her take off foot, and after the games Bronwyn underwent surgery to have it removed. In 2001 her performances continued to improve, and she broke the Australian long jump record, previously held by Nicole Boegman
Nicole Boegman
Nicole Boegman-Stewart, formerly married Staines is a retired Australian long jumper.Her personal best jump was 6.87 metres, achieved in August 1988 in Gateshead. Wind aided best 7.12 metres achieved in Sestriere, 1995. The Australian, and Oceanian, record currently belongs to Bronwyn Thompson...
. In 2002 Bronwyn improved her Australian record with a jump of 7.00m, which remains her personal best. She was again restricted by injury at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, finishing sixth in the long jump despite going in as the favourite. At the 2003 World Championships
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Bronwyn finished seventh in the final, despite further injury concerns.
Bronwyn carried good form into the 2004 Olympic Games
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and produced a best jump of 6.96m, but narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth behind a trio of Russian athletes. A week later however, Bronwyn suffered a horrific knee injury at a meet in Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, which threatened to end her career. It took more than a year for her to return to competition, but at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
she was able to once again produce her best form and dominated the long jump to win gold with a leap of 6.97m. Bronwyn went on to represent Australia at both the 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
and the 2008 Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, but was unable to qualify for the final at either event.
Bronwyn has continued to practice as a pediatric physiotherapist in addition to her athletics career, as well as serving as a director of Athletics Australia via her position as chairperson of the Athletes Commission. She has been coached by Gary Bourne since 2000, and was married to husband Jason Chipperfield in 2006.
Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | World Championships 2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:... |
Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
7th | |
| 2004 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put... |
Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
4th | |
| 2006 | Commonwealth Games 2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site... |
Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
1st |