Jamie Staff
Encyclopedia
Jamie Alan Staff MBE
(born 30 April 1973) is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX
and later on the track
. A World and Olympic
champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games.
, Staff first got started in BMX
when he was 9 years old, after seeing friends riding. A BMX rider who has won just about everything from the World Championships downwards, he decided at the end of 2001 that he wanted to win an Olympic medal. As BMX was not an Olympic sport at the time, he turned his attention to track cycling
.
He qualified for the GB Cycling Team at the first attempt. A natural competitor, he revels in the combative nature of the Sprint
and the Keirin
, though his stand-out rides so far have been in the Olympic sprint
and The Kilo.
At the Commonwealth Games
, he was a member of the silver medal winning England Team Sprint
trio, an impressive semi-finalist in the sprint (during which he broke the national 200 m record) and the winner of a bronze in the Kilometer, behind GB team-mates Chris Hoy
and Jason Queally
.
However, he surpassed all expectations when he helped GB to win a gold medal in the Team Sprint at the 2002 UCI Track World Championships in Copenhagen, less than a year after taking up track racing. In 2003 he continued to progress, recording two personal best times in the "Kilo" (1 km time trial) and a win in the Mexico
World Cup in the discipline.
In 2004 he competed at the Athens Olympics in the Keirin and team sprint, with little success. He continued to focus on the sprint, achieving multiple silvers and bronzes at World Championships, and the 2006 Commonwealth Games
. He finally tasted success again in the World Record-breaking British team sprint trio at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Staff was responsible for the fastest ever first lap in a team sprint.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.
He announced his retirement from racing on 28 March 2010. In June it was announced that he would be joining USA Cycling
to manage the USA national track sprint program.
Jamie plans to set up a Youth Cycling Academy in Kent
, UK in the near future which he will travel to from the US and regularly oversee, the aim being to encourage new British talent.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 30 April 1973) is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
and later on the track
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
. A World and Olympic
Cycling at the Summer Olympics
Cycling has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics.-Track cycling, Men:-Track cycling, Women:-Road bicycle racing, Men:-Road bicycle racing, Women:...
champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games.
Profile
Born in Ashford, KentAshford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
, Staff first got started in BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
when he was 9 years old, after seeing friends riding. A BMX rider who has won just about everything from the World Championships downwards, he decided at the end of 2001 that he wanted to win an Olympic medal. As BMX was not an Olympic sport at the time, he turned his attention to track cycling
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
.
He qualified for the GB Cycling Team at the first attempt. A natural competitor, he revels in the combative nature of the Sprint
Sprint (cycling)
The sprint or match sprint is a track cycling event involving between 2 and 4 riders, though they are usually run as a one-on-one match race between opponents who, unlike in the individual pursuit, start next to each other.- Racing style :...
and the Keirin
Keirin
is a track cycling event in which racing cyclists sprint for victory. Keirin originated in Japan in 1948; the first Olympic competitions in the sport occurred in 2000....
, though his stand-out rides so far have been in the Olympic sprint
Olympic sprint
The Team sprint is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event - it is, in the men's event, a three-man team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome, and, in the women's event, a two-woman event held over two laps.The current men's world best time...
and The Kilo.
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....
, he was a member of the silver medal winning England Team Sprint
Olympic sprint
The Team sprint is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event - it is, in the men's event, a three-man team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome, and, in the women's event, a two-woman event held over two laps.The current men's world best time...
trio, an impressive semi-finalist in the sprint (during which he broke the national 200 m record) and the winner of a bronze in the Kilometer, behind GB team-mates Chris Hoy
Chris Hoy
Sir Christopher Andrew "Chris" Hoy, MBE is a Scottish track cyclist representing Great Britain and Scotland. He is a multiple world champion and Olympic Games gold medal winner...
and Jason Queally
Jason Queally
Jason Paul Queally is an English track cyclist. He won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.Born at Great Heywood, Staffordshire, Queally attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School, where he was part of the swimming squad in the mid-1980s, later representing Lancaster and British Universities...
.
However, he surpassed all expectations when he helped GB to win a gold medal in the Team Sprint at the 2002 UCI Track World Championships in Copenhagen, less than a year after taking up track racing. In 2003 he continued to progress, recording two personal best times in the "Kilo" (1 km time trial) and a win in the Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
World Cup in the discipline.
In 2004 he competed at the Athens Olympics in the Keirin and team sprint, with little success. He continued to focus on the sprint, achieving multiple silvers and bronzes at World Championships, and 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...
. He finally tasted success again in the World Record-breaking British team sprint trio at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Staff was responsible for the fastest ever first lap in a team sprint.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.
He announced his retirement from racing on 28 March 2010. In June it was announced that he would be joining USA Cycling
USA Cycling
USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, BMX and collegiate racing...
to manage the USA national track sprint program.
Jamie plans to set up a Youth Cycling Academy in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, UK in the near future which he will travel to from the US and regularly oversee, the aim being to encourage new British talent.
BMX
Staff was one of the many imports competing in the United States national ABA (American Bicycle Association) and NBL (National Bicycle League) series, and regularly made AA Pro mains (winning NBL Pro Nat.#1 (Elite) Men (AA) in 2001), (winning the World BMX title in 1996) until 2001 when he decided to concentrate on track cycling. Staff still participates in BMX occasionally (as in the 2002, X Games VIII -BMX Downhill).Major results
- 1996 World BMX Champion
- 2002 Bronze Kilo (England), Commonwealth Games
- 2002 Silver Team Sprint (England), Commonwealth Games
- 2002 Gold Team Sprint, World Championships
- 2003 Silver Sprint, National Championships
- 2003 Silver Sprint, World Cup, Mexico
- 2003 Gold Kilometre, World Cup, Mexico
- 2003 Gold Team Sprint, World Cup, South Africa
- 2004 Gold Keirin, UCI Track World Championships, Melbourne
- 2005 Gold Team Sprint, World Championships
- 2004 Bronze Team Sprint, World Championships, Melbourne
- 2006 Silver Team Sprint, Commonwealth Games, Melbourne
- 2006 Silver Team Sprint UCI Track World Championship Team Sprint
- 2007 Bronze UCI Track World Championship Kilometre2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships - Men's 1 km Time TrialThe 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships - Men's 1 km Time Trial was the 2007 world championship track cycling time trial. It was held on April 1, 2007, and won by Chris Hoy, who had announced beforehand his intention to stop competing in the event following these championships since the...
- 2008 Silver UCI Track World Championships2008 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the Manchester Velodrome in Manchester, United Kingdom from 26 to 30 March 2008. Eighteen events were scheduled; the women's team pursuit being the only addition from the 2007...
Team Sprint - 2008 Gold Team Sprint, Olympic Games, Beijing
- 2009 Silver UCI Track World Championships2009 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the BGŻ Arena in Pruszków, Poland from 25 to 29 March 2009...
Team Sprint
See also
- Cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Keirin MenCycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Keirin MenThe men's Keirin in cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics was contested by 22 cyclists. A Keirin race consisted of eight laps of the track, or 2 kilometres.-Medalists:-First round:The 22 cyclists competed in three heats of seven to eight riders each...
- Cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Team Sprint MenCycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Team Sprint MenThe men's team sprint event in cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics was contested by twelve teams. The competition took place on August 21 at the Olympic Velodrome at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex.-Medalists:-Qualifying round:...
- Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2004 Summer OlympicsGreat Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2004 Summer OlympicsGreat Britain and Northern Ireland sent a wide-ranging delegation to the 2004 Summer Olympics, continuing its ubiquitous presence in the Olympic games — the only country to have sent competitors to every summer and winter games since the birth of the modern Olympics in...