David Greene (athlete)
Encyclopedia
David "Dai" Greene is a Welsh
hurdler who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles
event and competes internationally for both Wales
and Great Britain
.
He is the second fastest British man over the 400 m hurdles, behind the British record holder, Kriss Akabusi
. Greene is the current European, Commonwealth and World Champion.
near Llanelli
, Greene showed an aptitude for sport while attending Pen-y-gaer primary school. Inspired to follow his hero Ryan Giggs
, he began practising football skills with his left foot. Resultantly, aged 13 while attending Coedcae comprehensive school
, he joined the youth team set-up at Swansea City, playing left wing, and once scored a penalty against a Real Madrid
youth side. Turning down a contract to turn professional as a footballer aged 16, he continued his studies while still playing youth football for Swansea. After contracting Osgood-Schlatter disease
during a growth spurt, he resultantly decided to give up football in his late teens for athletics, and he still runs to this day for Swansea Harriers Athletics Club
. Aged 17, Greene was diagnosed with epilepsy
, and continues to manage the condition today by avoiding late nights and alcohol
, the main diagnosed triggers of his fits.
to be coached by Benke Blomqvist, Greene had his first success on the junior athletics circuit in 2005. He won the silver medal at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships
, finishing with a personal best time of 51.14 seconds. The following year he competed in his first senior tournament, the 2006 European Athletics Championships, but he failed to progress beyond the heats with a run of 50.66 seconds. His junior success continued, however, as he won the gold medal at the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships
with a new best of 49.58 seconds. He beat Frenchman Fadil Bellaabouss
by a narrow margin to mark an impressive return, following an ankle injury which had ruled him out for six weeks of the season.
After his coach Blomqvist decided to return to Sweden
for family reasons, from 2009 Greene relocated to University of Bath
, to allow him to train under coach Malcolm Arnold
, supported by the Wells Sports Foundation. He was later joined by fellow Welsh 400m hurdler Rhys Williams
, who is now his training partner.
The 2009 outdoor season saw Greene making his first impact on the senior circuit. In June he set a meet record and a new personal best of 48.62 seconds to win the 400 m hurdles at the Josef Odlozil Memorial
in Prague
. This was a significant improvement from his 2008 best of 49.58 seconds and made him top of the European rankings for the first time. Competing for Team GB at the 2009 World Championships
, Greene won his heat with a strong first round performance of 48.76 seconds. He followed this with a new personal best in the semi-finals, finishing in 48.27 seconds to take second place behind Bershawn Jackson
. He finished 7th in the final of the men's 400 m hurdles, and received a silver medal for the 4x400 m relay, despite only running in the semi-final, being replaced in the final by Michael Bingham
.
On 31 July 2010, he won the Gold Medal
in the 400m hurdles at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona
, with fellow Welshman Rhys Williams
getting the silver
. On 10 October 2010, Greene won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games
in Delhi
.
On 1 September 2011, at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu
, South Korea
, Greene won the gold medal, overtaking a strong field in the final straight.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
hurdler who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
event and competes internationally for both Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
He is the second fastest British man over the 400 m hurdles, behind the British record holder, Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Kezie Uche Chukwu Duru Akabusi MBE is a former sprint and hurdling athlete from the United Kingdom. During his career, he won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1990 European Championships, a gold in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1991 World Championships, and a silver medal in...
. Greene is the current European, Commonwealth and World Champion.
Early life
Born in FelinfoelFelinfoel
Felinfoel is a small village and community council ward on the River Lliedi on the northern border of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, West Wales, with a population of about 2,000.The Felinfoel Brewery, home of Double Dragon Ale, is the oldest in Wales...
near Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, Greene showed an aptitude for sport while attending Pen-y-gaer primary school. Inspired to follow his hero Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
, he began practising football skills with his left foot. Resultantly, aged 13 while attending Coedcae comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
, he joined the youth team set-up at Swansea City, playing left wing, and once scored a penalty against a Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
youth side. Turning down a contract to turn professional as a footballer aged 16, he continued his studies while still playing youth football for Swansea. After contracting Osgood-Schlatter disease
Osgood-Schlatter disease
Osgood–Schlatter disease and or syndrome is an irritation of the patellar tendon at the tibial tuberosity....
during a growth spurt, he resultantly decided to give up football in his late teens for athletics, and he still runs to this day for Swansea Harriers Athletics Club
Swansea Harriers Athletics Club
Swansea Harriers Athletics Club is an athletics club based at Swansea University Athletics Centre in Swansea, Wales, UK.-History:Although athletics has taken place in Swansea since at least the late 19th century it was not until 1962 that the current Swansea Harriers was formally established...
. Aged 17, Greene was diagnosed with epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, and continues to manage the condition today by avoiding late nights and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, the main diagnosed triggers of his fits.
Athletics career
Moving to CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to be coached by Benke Blomqvist, Greene had his first success on the junior athletics circuit in 2005. He won the silver medal at the 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships
2005 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 2005 European Athletics Junior Championships is the 2005 version of the European Athletics Junior Championships. It was held in Kaunas, Lithuania.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Notes and references:*...
, finishing with a personal best time of 51.14 seconds. The following year he competed in his first senior tournament, the 2006 European Athletics Championships, but he failed to progress beyond the heats with a run of 50.66 seconds. His junior success continued, however, as he won the gold medal at the 2007 European Athletics U23 Championships
European Athletics U23 Championships
The European Athletics U23 Championships is a biennial athletics competition for European athletes under the age of 23, which is organized by the European Athletic Association...
with a new best of 49.58 seconds. He beat Frenchman Fadil Bellaabouss
Fadil Bellaabouss
Fadil Bellaabouss is a French track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles.-Achievements:-References:...
by a narrow margin to mark an impressive return, following an ankle injury which had ruled him out for six weeks of the season.
After his coach Blomqvist decided to return to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
for family reasons, from 2009 Greene relocated to University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, to allow him to train under coach Malcolm Arnold
Malcolm Arnold (athletics coach)
Malcolm Arnold is an Athletics coach working for UK Athletics and its predecessors since 1974. Currently, he is the National Event Coach for Hurdles and Senior Performance Coach for UK Athletics. He has attended every Olympic Games since Mexico City in 1968, 11 in all, as a coach to National Teams...
, supported by the Wells Sports Foundation. He was later joined by fellow Welsh 400m hurdler Rhys Williams
Rhys Williams (athlete)
Rhys Williams , is a Welsh professional athlete, specializing in the 400 m hurdles.-Early life:Williams was born in Bridgend, the son of former Welsh international rugby union player J.J. Williams. Rhys studied at Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari from September 1995 until June 2002...
, who is now his training partner.
The 2009 outdoor season saw Greene making his first impact on the senior circuit. In June he set a meet record and a new personal best of 48.62 seconds to win the 400 m hurdles at the Josef Odlozil Memorial
Josef Odložil Memorial
The Josef Odložil Memorial is an annual track and field meeting which takes place in June at the Stadion Juliska in Prague, Czech Republic....
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. This was a significant improvement from his 2008 best of 49.58 seconds and made him top of the European rankings for the first time. Competing for Team GB at the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
, Greene won his heat with a strong first round performance of 48.76 seconds. He followed this with a new personal best in the semi-finals, finishing in 48.27 seconds to take second place behind Bershawn Jackson
Bershawn Jackson
Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...
. He finished 7th in the final of the men's 400 m hurdles, and received a silver medal for the 4x400 m relay, despite only running in the semi-final, being replaced in the final by Michael Bingham
Michael Bingham
Michael Bingham is a British 400 m athlete. He is managed by Michael Johnson.He is one of five children born to British citizen Norris Bingham and his wife Mollissie in Sylva, North Carolina. His parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother, attending The McCallie School...
.
On 31 July 2010, he won the Gold Medal
Gold Medal
Gold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
in the 400m hurdles at the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, with fellow Welshman Rhys Williams
Rhys Williams (athlete)
Rhys Williams , is a Welsh professional athlete, specializing in the 400 m hurdles.-Early life:Williams was born in Bridgend, the son of former Welsh international rugby union player J.J. Williams. Rhys studied at Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari from September 1995 until June 2002...
getting the silver
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
. On 10 October 2010, Greene won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
On 1 September 2011, at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu
Daegu
Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Greene won the gold medal, overtaking a strong field in the final straight.
Personal bests
| Event | Best | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 metres 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and... |
45.82 s | Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... , England |
31 Jul 11 |
| 400 metres hurdles 400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly... |
47.88 s | Zagreb Zagreb Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city... , Croatia |
4 Sep 10 |