Jeanette Kwakye
Encyclopedia
Jeanette Boahemaa Kwakye (born 20 March 1983) is a British
sprinter of Ghana
ian origin.
in 4x100 metres relay
at the 2002 World Junior Championships
, with teammates Jade Lucas-Read, Amy Spencer
and Vernicha James. At the 2007 European Indoor Championships she finished fourth in the 60 metres
. In the semi-final she recorded a time of 7.17 seconds, this being the fastest time by a British woman in the 60m since 1986.
Kwakye, became the 2007 British Champion over 100m in a time of 11.59, beating Laura Turner
(who recorded the same time) and defending champion Joice Maduaka
. The next day, she also won the 200m title, after beating Emily Freeman
and Donna Fraser
, who took silver and bronze, respectively.
In the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
in Valencia Kwakye equalled the British 60m record of 7.13 by Bev Kinch
in her semi-final before smashing it with a superb 7.08 run to claim silver behind American Angela Williams
who won in 7.06, this placing Kwakye as number 2 in the 2008 world female rankings.
On 12 July 2008, Kwakye defended her British 100m title, whilst also winning the Olympic trials, and was accordingly automatically selected to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. Her time of 11.26 equalled her then lifetime best.
, Kwakye finished in second place behind Torri Edwards
, clocking a time of 11.30 seconds, allowing her to progress through to the quarter-final stage. In the quarter-final, she was beaten to the line by Shelly-Ann Fraser
and Evgeniya Polyakova, but still qualified for the semi-final by finishing in third place. In the semi-final on 17 August 2008, Kwakye finished third, with a time of 11.19. She became the first British woman to reach the 100 metres
final since Heather Oakes in 1984. At these Olympics, Kwakye was also the only Europe
an athlete to appear in the final. In the final, she clocked 11.14, a personal best, to finish in sixth place, ahead of Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas and Torri Edwards
of the USA
.
Great Britain
reached the final of the 4x100 metres relay
, and along with the Jamaica
n team, were favourites to claim a medal. Kwakye ran a good first bend in the final, but the British team failed to finish due to a mix-up in the changeover between Montell Douglas
and Emily Freeman
. Jamaica also failed to finish after a similar error between Sherone Simpson
and Kerron Stewart
.
of Ghana
. The Kwakye family moved to England
in the early 1980s. Kwakye's younger brother, Louis, is also involved in National athletics.
Kwakye is a graduate of Loughborough University
where she attained a degree in Politics and Economics in 2005. She is close friends with singer Estelle
.
All information taken from IAAF profile.
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...
sprinter of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian origin.
Athletics career
Kwakye won a bronze medalBronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in 4x100 metres relay
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
at the 2002 World Junior Championships
2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2002 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Kingston, Jamaica from July 16 to July 21, 2002.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
, with teammates Jade Lucas-Read, Amy Spencer
Amy Spencer
Amy Spencer is a retired English sprinter.She was born in Wigan, and came to fame as a teenager. In 1998 she won a British U13 best for 80m and the next year won the AAA U15 200m title...
and Vernicha James. At the 2007 European Indoor Championships she finished fourth in the 60 metres
60 metres
60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes...
. In the semi-final she recorded a time of 7.17 seconds, this being the fastest time by a British woman in the 60m since 1986.
Kwakye, became the 2007 British Champion over 100m in a time of 11.59, beating Laura Turner
Laura Turner
Laura Kate Turner is a British sprinter who represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics, in the 4 x 100m relay and the 100m....
(who recorded the same time) and defending champion Joice Maduaka
Joice Maduaka
Joice Maduaka is a British athlete who competes over the 100, 200 and occasionally 400 metres. She holds the record for winning the most medals of any athlete at the British Athletics Championships, standing at 19 medals to date, including being the 100m champion 6 times, and the 200m champion...
. The next day, she also won the 200m title, after beating Emily Freeman
Emily Freeman
Emily Kaye Freeman is a British senior female runner. She is currently associated with the Yorkshire / Wakefield Harriers & AC....
and Donna Fraser
Donna Fraser
Donna Karen Fraser in Thornton Heath, Croydon is an English athlete who mainly competed in the 200 and 400 metres.-Career:...
, who took silver and bronze, respectively.
In the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Luis Puig Palace in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.-Bid:Valencia was announced the winning bidder by the IAAF on November 13, 2005 at an IAAF Council meeting in Moscow, Russia.-Men:...
in Valencia Kwakye equalled the British 60m record of 7.13 by Bev Kinch
Bev Kinch
Beverly Kinch is a former British long jumper and sprinter.Bev Kinch competed at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, winning the bronze medal in the long jump with a jump of 6.78m...
in her semi-final before smashing it with a superb 7.08 run to claim silver behind American Angela Williams
Angela Williams
Angela Williams is an American athlete. Williams attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 2002....
who won in 7.06, this placing Kwakye as number 2 in the 2008 world female rankings.
On 12 July 2008, Kwakye defended her British 100m title, whilst also winning the Olympic trials, and was accordingly automatically selected to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics
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...
. Her time of 11.26 equalled her then lifetime best.
2008 Summer Olympics
In the heats of the 100 metresAthletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metres
-Results:All times shown are in seconds. The following abbreviations are used:* Q denotes qualification by place* q denotes qualification by time* PB denotes personal best* SB denotes season best* NR denotes national record...
, Kwakye finished in second place behind Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards is an American sprinter. She was a rising young star in 100 and 200 metres, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold...
, clocking a time of 11.30 seconds, allowing her to progress through to the quarter-final stage. In the quarter-final, she was beaten to the line by Shelly-Ann Fraser
Shelly-Ann Fraser
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, OD is a Jamaican sprinter, who specializes in the 100 m. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fraser is the reigning Olympic champion over 100 m, clocking a time of 10.78...
and Evgeniya Polyakova, but still qualified for the semi-final by finishing in third place. In the semi-final on 17 August 2008, Kwakye finished third, with a time of 11.19. She became the first British woman to reach the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
final since Heather Oakes in 1984. At these Olympics, Kwakye was also the only Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an athlete to appear in the final. In the final, she clocked 11.14, a personal best, to finish in sixth place, ahead of Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas and Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards is an American sprinter. She was a rising young star in 100 and 200 metres, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold...
of the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
reached the final of the 4x100 metres relay
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's 4x100 metre relay
The Women's 4x100 metre relay event at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 21 and 22 August at the Beijing Olympic Stadium.There were 16 NOCs competing at this event. These 16 NOCs were selected by the average of the two best marks at the qualifying period...
, and along with the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n team, were favourites to claim a medal. Kwakye ran a good first bend in the final, but the British team failed to finish due to a mix-up in the changeover between Montell Douglas
Montell Douglas
Montell Marcelle Douglas is a British sprinter and current British record holder for the 100 metres at 11.05.-Athletics career:...
and Emily Freeman
Emily Freeman
Emily Kaye Freeman is a British senior female runner. She is currently associated with the Yorkshire / Wakefield Harriers & AC....
. Jamaica also failed to finish after a similar error between Sherone Simpson
Sherone Simpson
Sherone Simpson is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for Jamaica. She is a gold medalist in the 4 x 100 meter relay from the 2004 Olympics and silver medalist in 2005 World Championships and now is the silver medalist in the individual event at the 2008 Summer Olympics...
and Kerron Stewart
Kerron Stewart
Kerron Stewart is a Jamaican sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She is the 2008 Jamaican national champion in the 100 m clocking 10.80s. She defeated World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown in the process and now is the 2008 Summer Olympics silver medalist after she...
.
Personal life
Both of Kwakye's parents were born in the Brong-Ahafo RegionBrong-Ahafo Region
The Brong-Ahafo Region is located in mid-western Ghana, between the Ashanti Region and the Northern Region. Its capital is Sunyani.This region was created in 1958. It contains many cultural and wildlife attractions, but it is less known to tourists than the Ashanti, Northern, Central, or Greater...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. The Kwakye family moved to England
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...
in the early 1980s. Kwakye's younger brother, Louis, is also involved in National athletics.
Kwakye is a graduate of Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
where she attained a degree in Politics and Economics in 2005. She is close friends with singer Estelle
Estelle (musician)
Estelle Fanta Swaray commonly known as Estelle, and formerly as Est'elle, is an English R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer.-Early Life:Estelle was born 18 January 1980 in Hammersmith, London, England...
.
Personal bests
Updated 26 April 2009| Event | Time | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres 60 metres 60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes... |
7.08 s | Valencia, Spain | 7 March 2008 |
| 100 metres 100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896... |
11.14 s | Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China |
17 August 2008 |
| 200 metres 200 metres A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first... |
23.11 s | Cuxhaven, Germany | 14 July 2007 |
All information taken from IAAF profile.
External links
- Profile at Powerof10 (UK athletics)
- EAA profile
- Jeanette's Rising Star profile on spikesmag.com
- Kwakye's personal blog
- Jeanette Kwakye's career story as featured on Non-profit site icould.