Diane Modahl
Encyclopedia
Diane Modahl, née Edwards (born June 17, 1966) is an English
former middle distance runner
.
Originally from Manchester
, of Jamaican parents, she was 800 m champion in the Commonwealth Games
of 1990. She competed in four Olympic Games
: 1988 in Seoul
, 1992 in Barcelona
, 1996 in Atlanta, and 2000 in Sydney. She came fourth in the 800m at the 1993 world championship in Stuttgart, won the Europa Super Cup 800m in 1994, and came third at the 1989 IAAF Grand Prix final behind Ana Quirot of Cuba. She was a finalist at European and world championships and the Olympic Games and won six British 800m titles.
Her career nearly ended in 1994 when she was accused of taking the performance-enhancing drug, testosterone
. She was sent home from the Commonwealth Games in Canada.
Modahl engaged lawyers to show that the laboratory in Lisbon had stored her urine sample on a table in a room heated at 35 degrees for three days, which caused bacterial degradation. She has always professed her innocence and was later cleared. She said: "I have declared my innocence, I have never taken any banned substance".
The British Athletic Federation lifted the ban on 25 July 1995. On 25 March 1996 the IAAF congress in South Africa also accepted the report and cleared her. The IAAF general secretary said: "We can no longer trust that the laboratories get it right; we have to test the testers more often". Modahl spent six years fighting the BAF for compensation and to clear her name - she sought £450,000 in damages. The High Court ruled against her in 2000, on the basis that no contract existed between her and the BAF. Ultimately, the cost financially ruined Modahl and contributed to the financial collapse of the BAF in 1998, which was replaced by UK Athletics
.
Modahl returned to competition at the 1996 Olympic Games but pulled a hamstring in the heat 50m from the finish. In 1998 she won the 800m bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
.
Modahl is a non-executive board member at NHS Manchester, chief ambassador for StreetGames, a charity for inner-city children, and runs the Diane Modahl Foundation to identify talents. She is married to Vicente Modahl; they have three children. She is also a cousin of Chris Eubank
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former middle distance runner
Middle distance track event
Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...
.
Originally from 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...
, of Jamaican parents, she was 800 m champion in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
of 1990. She competed in four Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
: 1988 in Seoul
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
, 1992 in Barcelona
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, 1996 in Atlanta, and 2000 in Sydney. She came fourth in the 800m at the 1993 world championship in Stuttgart, won the Europa Super Cup 800m in 1994, and came third at the 1989 IAAF Grand Prix final behind Ana Quirot of Cuba. She was a finalist at European and world championships and the Olympic Games and won six British 800m titles.
Her career nearly ended in 1994 when she was accused of taking the performance-enhancing drug, testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
. She was sent home from the Commonwealth Games in Canada.
Modahl engaged lawyers to show that the laboratory in Lisbon had stored her urine sample on a table in a room heated at 35 degrees for three days, which caused bacterial degradation. She has always professed her innocence and was later cleared. She said: "I have declared my innocence, I have never taken any banned substance".
The British Athletic Federation lifted the ban on 25 July 1995. On 25 March 1996 the IAAF congress in South Africa also accepted the report and cleared her. The IAAF general secretary said: "We can no longer trust that the laboratories get it right; we have to test the testers more often". Modahl spent six years fighting the BAF for compensation and to clear her name - she sought £450,000 in damages. The High Court ruled against her in 2000, on the basis that no contract existed between her and the BAF. Ultimately, the cost financially ruined Modahl and contributed to the financial collapse of the BAF in 1998, which was replaced by UK Athletics
UK Athletics
UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics officials....
.
Modahl returned to competition at the 1996 Olympic Games but pulled a hamstring in the heat 50m from the finish. In 1998 she won the 800m bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
.
Modahl is a non-executive board member at NHS Manchester, chief ambassador for StreetGames, a charity for inner-city children, and runs the Diane Modahl Foundation to identify talents. She is married to Vicente Modahl; they have three children. She is also a cousin of Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank, Lord of the Manor of Brighton is a retired British boxer who held world titles at middleweight and super middleweight...
.