Kate Dennison
Encyclopedia
Kate Dennison is an English
pole vault
er. She is the British indoor record holder in the Pole Vault and she was also the British outdoor record
holder in the event before Holly Bleasdale
jumped 4.70 in July 2011.
Born in Durban
, South Africa
, Dennison came from a sporting family and moved to Alsager
, England, when she was four years old. She first became interested in athletics through gymnastics
. Dennison was selected to compete at national and international levels, finishing fourth in the British Championships, but did not feel passionate about the sport and changed to pole vault in 2000. She became the first British junior athlete to jump 4.00 metres, as she finished seventh at the 2002 World Junior Championships
in Kingston, Jamaica.
She competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
and was the top English performer, finishing seventh overall. Dennison completed a degree in psychology at Staffordshire University
and turned professional, committing herself full-time to the sport. Following graduation, she moved to be trained by Steven Rippon at the centre of excellence in Loughborough
.
Dennison won two outdoor tournaments and five indoor titles in the 2007 athletics season. She competed at her first Olympic Games
at Beijing 2008 and was knocked out in seventh place in the second heats but set a new outdoor personal best of 4.40 m. Following this she had surgery on both her Achilles
, but this did not affect her form in the next season – she broke the national indoor record, beating Janine Whitlock
's seven-year-old record, with a jump of 4.45 m at the 2009 UK Indoor Championships in Sheffield
, and bettered that mark by another centimetre at the Birmingham Games a week later.
Following a successful indoor season, Dennison broke the British record
in June with a vault of 4.51 m at the Memorial Josefa Odlozila meeting in Prague
. Despite the achievement she felt confident of further improvement, setting her eyes on a place in the final at the Berlin World Championships
. Another personal best of 4.55 m brought her fourth place in the European Team Championships 2009. After a win at the UK national championships with 4.57 m, she noted the difficulty of the competition she faced in Berlin: a number of athletes from Germany, Poland, and Russia, including reigning champion Yelena Isinbayeva
, were in the running for a medal.
She recorded 4.55 m in the World Championships final, finishing in sixth place overall. A 4.60 m clearance for third place at the Pedros Cup
brought an end to a successful season for the Briton, which had seen her beat the national record nine times over the course of eight months.
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games
in New Delhi
, Dennison won a bronze medal
in the women's pole vault.
in June 2011, with a jump of 4.70m.
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...
pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er. She is the British indoor record holder in the Pole Vault and she was also the British outdoor record
British records in athletics
British records in athletics are the best performances in athletics events by athletes representing the United Kingdom which are ratified by the Amateur Athletic Association and the British Amateur Athletic Board .-History:...
holder in the event before Holly Bleasdale
Holly Bleasdale
Holly Bethan Bleasdale is a British track and field athlete who specialises in the pole vault. She is the British record holder after breaking Kate Dennison's record on 2 July 2011.-Biography:...
jumped 4.70 in July 2011.
Born in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Dennison came from a sporting family and moved to Alsager
Alsager
Alsager is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe...
, England, when she was four years old. She first became interested in athletics through gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. Dennison was selected to compete at national and international levels, finishing fourth in the British Championships, but did not feel passionate about the sport and changed to pole vault in 2000. She became the first British junior athlete to jump 4.00 metres, as she finished seventh 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:...
in Kingston, Jamaica.
She competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held in Melbourne, Australia from 19 March to 25 March 2006. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Furthermore, three men's and three women's disability events were held within the programme...
and was the top English performer, finishing seventh overall. Dennison completed a degree in psychology at Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
and turned professional, committing herself full-time to the sport. Following graduation, she moved to be trained by Steven Rippon at the centre of excellence in Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
.
Dennison won two outdoor tournaments and five indoor titles in the 2007 athletics season. She competed at her first 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...
at Beijing 2008 and was knocked out in seventh place in the second heats but set a new outdoor personal best of 4.40 m. Following this she had surgery on both her Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
, but this did not affect her form in the next season – she broke the national indoor record, beating Janine Whitlock
Janine Whitlock
Janine Whitlock is an English pole vaulter.Her personal best is 4.47 metres, achieved in July 2005 at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, in the same meet that Yelena Isinbayeva became the first woman to clear 5 metres....
's seven-year-old record, with a jump of 4.45 m at the 2009 UK Indoor Championships in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, and bettered that mark by another centimetre at the Birmingham Games a week later.
Following a successful indoor season, Dennison broke the British record
British records in athletics
British records in athletics are the best performances in athletics events by athletes representing the United Kingdom which are ratified by the Amateur Athletic Association and the British Amateur Athletic Board .-History:...
in June with a vault of 4.51 m at the Memorial Josefa Odlozila meeting 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...
. Despite the achievement she felt confident of further improvement, setting her eyes on a place in the final at the Berlin 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....
. Another personal best of 4.55 m brought her fourth place in the European Team Championships 2009. After a win at the UK national championships with 4.57 m, she noted the difficulty of the competition she faced in Berlin: a number of athletes from Germany, Poland, and Russia, including reigning champion Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist , five-times a World Champion, and the current world record holder in the event...
, were in the running for a medal.
She recorded 4.55 m in the World Championships final, finishing in sixth place overall. A 4.60 m clearance for third place at the Pedros Cup
Pedros Cup
The Pedros Cup is a biannual athletics event of two legs, which features an indoor track and field competition in January or February and an outdoor competition during the European summer period. The first competition of each year since 2005 has taken place in Bydgoszcz, Poland...
brought an end to a successful season for the Briton, which had seen her beat the national record nine times over the course of eight months.
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
The athletics competition at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held in New Delhi, India between 6 and 14 October. The track and field events took place between 6–12 October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while the marathon contests were held on a street course running through the city on 14...
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Dennison won a bronze medal
Bronze 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 the women's pole vault.
Personal bests
Dennison is the British record holder in pole vault indoors, and she previously held the outdoor record. She beat Janine Whitlock's 4.47 m outdoor record in June 2009. She broke the British record nine times in 2009. Her own outdoor record of 4.60m was beaten by Holly BleasdaleHolly Bleasdale
Holly Bethan Bleasdale is a British track and field athlete who specialises in the pole vault. She is the British record holder after breaking Kate Dennison's record on 2 July 2011.-Biography:...
in June 2011, with a jump of 4.70m.
| Event | Date | Venue | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pole vault, indoor | 22 January 2010 | Wuppertal Wuppertal Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land... , Germany |
4.57 metres |
| Pole vault, outdoor | 22 July 2011 | 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... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
4.61 metres |
- All information taken from IAAF Profile.
External links
- Profile from Loughborough UniversityLoughborough UniversityLoughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
- http://www.wupperguide.de/nachrichten/2010/01/23/die-rekorde-purzelten-zum-meeting-schluss/