Steve Backley
Encyclopedia
Stephen ("Steve") James Backley OBE
(born 12 February 1969 in Sidcup
) is a retired British
athlete who was formerly the world record holder for javelin
throwing. During his career, he won four gold medals at the European Championships, three Commonwealth Games
gold medals, and two silvers and a bronze at the Olympic Games
, and two silvers at the World Championships
.
Backley was a firm fixture in the British national athletics team for over fifteen years and is the only British track and field
competitor to win medals at three different Olympic Games.
, Orpington, and later Beths Grammar School
in his teens and later enrolled at Loughborough University
in October 1988 to study for a BSc
Honours degree in Physical Education
, Sports Science
and Recreation Management. Although he completed his first year there and remained a student until 2002, the time he dedicated to the javelin prevented him from completing his studies. However, on December 16, 2002 Loughborough University honoured him with the degree of Doctor of Technology honoris causa.
Backley's first significant title, was won in 1987 when he threw 75.14 metres to pick up the Europe
an junior title, ahead of Vladimir Zossimovich (73.24) of Russia
and East German Raymond Hecht
(72.78). In 1988, Backley won the silver medal at the 1988 Junior World Championships. He also broke the world junior record that year.
, Sweden
. The record was then bettered by the Czech thrower Jan Železný
a few weeks later, but Backley then regained the record with a throw 90.98m at Crystal Palace
, London
, to end the year as the world record holder. Finland
's Seppo Räty
then bettered the record in 1991. The records set by Železný and Räty, as well as Backley's 90.98m throw, had all been made using new 'Nemeth' javelins, however in August 1991 the IAAF declared this type of javelin illegal and all records set using them were retrospectively deleted. As a consequence, the world record reverted to the 89.58m mark that Backley had set in 1990. Backley then set another world record of 91.46m in January 1992 in New Zealand
, a record which stood until the following year when it was bettered by Železný.
in Glasgow
, Scotland
. The injury forced him to withdraw from the European Cup Super League meeting in Gateshead
, England
in early July. Due to injury his second competition came in August, taking second (85.84m) to Finland
s Aki Parviainen
in the Norwich Union
Grand Prix and improved to 86.70m in winning the AAA Championship.
At Sydney
, Australia
for the 2000 Summer Olympics
he beat the qualifying mark with his very first throw (83.74m), although the favourite, Jan Železný
, threw an enormous qualifying throw of 89.39m. In the final, however, Backley set a new Olympic record with his second throw of 89.95m. He must have thought that he was within reach of the elusive Olympic
title but in the third round two-time champion Železný threw a distance of 90.17m. Subsequent rounds did not see improvements from either competitor and again Železný won the gold medal ahead of Backley. Sergey Makarov took bronze.
With the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
to look forward to, he threw over ninety metres for the first time since 1992 at the British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace
on 22 July. He had trailed behind Latvia
n Ēriks Rags
(86.47) and American
Breaux Greer
(85.91) who had both produced personal bests before he pulled out a huge 90.81 with his final throw.
This should have given him an enormous for boost for the worlds in Edmonton, but on 10 August Backley had not taken his A-game to the show. He could only manage 81.50 in the qualifying rounds and when both pools had finished this left him way down in thirteenth place. One consolation was that his team-mate Mick Hill had qualified well, but even this good news was short lived as Mick unfortunately picked up an injury and only managed to record one distance in the final, finishing last.
Jan Železný
took gold with a championship record of 92.80 ahead of Aki Parviainen (91.31) and Konstadinós Gatsioúdis
of Greece
(89.95). American
, Breaux Greer
once again increased his personal best to 87.00 in finishing one place outside the medals.
Such was his disgust at his performance he had been contemplating retirement but re-appeared in Gateshead
, for the Norwich Union Classic and gained a little revenge by beating world silver medallist Aki Parviainen with a throw of 86.74. Of his six throws this day five of them would have qualified for final nine days earlier.
Backley then travelled to Brisbane
in September to take part in the Goodwill Games
but despite leading after two rounds, the up and down season continued and he could not improve to leave Jan Železný on top once again ahead of Ēriks Rags
and Breaux Greer
.
on 25 July – 4 August and the European Championships on 6–11 August .
On 31 July was the first test and with no major competition he knew that he had reclaimed his Commonwealth title after his very first throw of 86.81 in the City of Manchester
Stadium. Runner up Scott Russell
of Canada
was nearly eight metres back with (78.98) and England
's bronze medallist Nick Nieland
managed only 78.63. This gave Backley a hat-trick
of Commonwealth titles.
The European Championships in Munich
would be much stiffer task with all of the World's leading exponents on show. Producing an opening throw of 86.29 and then surpassing that marginally in the third with 86.37 it was obvious that he was in form but he still trailed behind Russia
n leader Sergey Makarov who had sent out a massive 88.05 first round throw.
World record holder Jan Železný
again found the European title beyond him and did not manage to record a distance so was eliminated after the third round. This seemed to inspire Backley and the reigning champion went half a metre past the leader in the fifth with 88.54. Makarov couldn’t respond to this and ended up with silver with Germany
's Boris Henry
taking bronze with 85.33. This fantastic achievement made Backley the first British athlete to win four consecutive European Championship
golds.
under his belt another victory on 13 July at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Gateshead throwing 85.69 defeating Boris Henry (83.52) and Alexandr Ivanov (81.69), he put these firmly behind him,
A couple of weeks later at the North Down International at Bangor Northern Ireland his opening throw of 81.42m was once again good enough to see off the competition.
It was therefore disappointing when after managing to qualify for the final, only in seventh position, at the IAAF championship Stade de France
, Paris
, on the final weekend of August, his third and best throw of only 80.13m could not take him through to the last eight in the Sunday final. Sergey Makarov took the title with 85.44 ahead of Andrus Värnik
85.17 and Boris Henry 84.74 with these all being recorded in the first round.
In Backley's final year of competition in 2004, where he was hoping to add to his Olympic medal haul, he struggled to find form and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, Greece
, in a wide-open field, he only made the final as the last non-automatic qualifier. In the final his third round throw of 84.13 metres pulled him up to fourth place but he could not improve on this and finished in that position unable to medal at his fourth consecutive games.
.
in the 1995 New Year’s Honours list and then an OBE
in 2003.
He was also on a special Olympic medal winners version of Jungle Run
. The team collected the most monkey statues ever, getting 3 minutes out of a possible 3 minutes and 20 seconds. The team walked out of the temple with about 35 seconds to spare. The other members of the team were Mark Foster
and Iwan Thomas
.
He competed in the 2008 edition of Dancing on Ice
with partner Susie Lipanova
and finished 7th.
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 12 February 1969 in Sidcup
Sidcup
Sidcup is a district in South East London in the London Borough of Bexley and small parts of the district in the London Borough of Greenwich.Located south east of Charing Cross, Sidcup is bordered by the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bromley and Kent County Council, and whilst now part of...
) is a retired British
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...
athlete who was formerly the world record holder for javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
throwing. During his career, he won four gold medals at the European Championships, three 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....
gold medals, and two silvers and a bronze at the 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...
, and two silvers at the World Championships
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
.
Backley was a firm fixture in the British national athletics team for over fifteen years and is the only British track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
competitor to win medals at three different Olympic Games.
Early life
Backley was educated at Warren Road Primary SchoolWarren Road Primary School
Warren Road Primary School is a mixed primary school in Orpington in southeast London. It caters for children between the ages of five to eleven. The school has seven year groups, with four classes in each year group. In both 2008 and 2009, Warren Road came in the top 350 in the school league tables...
, Orpington, and later Beths Grammar School
Beths Grammar School
Beths Grammar School, commonly known as Beths, is an all-boys foundation grammar school in Bexley, south east London. Students are admitted from the age of 11, with girls joining the sixth form in Year 12...
in his teens and later enrolled at 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...
in October 1988 to study for a BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
Honours degree in Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
, Sports Science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
and Recreation Management. Although he completed his first year there and remained a student until 2002, the time he dedicated to the javelin prevented him from completing his studies. However, on December 16, 2002 Loughborough University honoured him with the degree of Doctor of Technology honoris causa.
Backley's first significant title, was won in 1987 when he threw 75.14 metres to pick up the 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 junior title, ahead of Vladimir Zossimovich (73.24) of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and East German Raymond Hecht
Raymond Hecht
Raymond Hecht is a retired German javelin thrower. He represented SC Magdeburg in former East Germany....
(72.78). In 1988, Backley won the silver medal at the 1988 Junior World Championships. He also broke the world junior record that year.
World record
In July 1990, Backley set a world record of 89.58m in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 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....
. The record was then bettered by the Czech thrower Jan Železný
Jan Železný
Jan Železný is a Czech javelin thrower, world and Olympic champion and world record holder in javelin throw...
a few weeks later, but Backley then regained the record with a throw 90.98m at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to end the year as the world record holder. Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's Seppo Räty
Seppo Räty
Seppo Henrik Räty is a Finnish javelin thrower. His personal best throw was 96.96 m in 1991, which was a world record at the time, however this throw was made using a modified 'Nemeth' javelin which was banned by the IAAF later that year and all records made using this javelin were retrospectively...
then bettered the record in 1991. The records set by Železný and Räty, as well as Backley's 90.98m throw, had all been made using new 'Nemeth' javelins, however in August 1991 the IAAF declared this type of javelin illegal and all records set using them were retrospectively deleted. As a consequence, the world record reverted to the 89.58m mark that Backley had set in 1990. Backley then set another world record of 91.46m in January 1992 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, a record which stood until the following year when it was bettered by Železný.
2000 Olympics and 2001 World Championships
Backley started the year recovering from knee surgery throwing 82.19m against the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The injury forced him to withdraw from the European Cup Super League meeting in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, 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 early July. Due to injury his second competition came in August, taking second (85.84m) to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
s Aki Parviainen
Aki Parviainen
Aki Uolevi Parviainen is a Finnish Javelin thrower, who won the gold medal at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics and a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships. His best throw is 93.09 in 1999. His best Olympic placing is 5th in 2000...
in the Norwich Union
Norwich Union
Norwich Union was the name given to insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It is the biggest life insurance provider in the United Kingdom, and has a strong position in motor insurance...
Grand Prix and improved to 86.70m in winning the AAA Championship.
At Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
he beat the qualifying mark with his very first throw (83.74m), although the favourite, Jan Železný
Jan Železný
Jan Železný is a Czech javelin thrower, world and Olympic champion and world record holder in javelin throw...
, threw an enormous qualifying throw of 89.39m. In the final, however, Backley set a new Olympic record with his second throw of 89.95m. He must have thought that he was within reach of the elusive Olympic
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...
title but in the third round two-time champion Železný threw a distance of 90.17m. Subsequent rounds did not see improvements from either competitor and again Železný won the gold medal ahead of Backley. Sergey Makarov took bronze.
With the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
to look forward to, he threw over ninety metres for the first time since 1992 at the British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
on 22 July. He had trailed behind Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n Ēriks Rags
Eriks Rags
Ēriks Rags is a Latvian javelin thrower. His personal best throw is 86.47 metres, achieved in July 2001 in London.-Achievements:-External links:...
(86.47) and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer is a male American javelin thrower. He is an eight time American Champion and American record holder for the javelin with a throw of 91.29 meters, achieved on June 21, 2007 during the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis...
(85.91) who had both produced personal bests before he pulled out a huge 90.81 with his final throw.
This should have given him an enormous for boost for the worlds in Edmonton, but on 10 August Backley had not taken his A-game to the show. He could only manage 81.50 in the qualifying rounds and when both pools had finished this left him way down in thirteenth place. One consolation was that his team-mate Mick Hill had qualified well, but even this good news was short lived as Mick unfortunately picked up an injury and only managed to record one distance in the final, finishing last.
Jan Železný
Jan Železný
Jan Železný is a Czech javelin thrower, world and Olympic champion and world record holder in javelin throw...
took gold with a championship record of 92.80 ahead of Aki Parviainen (91.31) and Konstadinós Gatsioúdis
Konstadinos Gatsioudis
Konstadinos Gatsioudis is a Greek javelin thrower.He was born in Didymoteicho.Gatsioudis set a world junior record in 1990, and eight national records during his career. His personal best throw is 91.69 metres, achieved in June 2000 in Kuortane.-Achievements:-External links:...
of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(89.95). American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer is a male American javelin thrower. He is an eight time American Champion and American record holder for the javelin with a throw of 91.29 meters, achieved on June 21, 2007 during the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis...
once again increased his personal best to 87.00 in finishing one place outside the medals.
Such was his disgust at his performance he had been contemplating retirement but re-appeared in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, for the Norwich Union Classic and gained a little revenge by beating world silver medallist Aki Parviainen with a throw of 86.74. Of his six throws this day five of them would have qualified for final nine days earlier.
Backley then travelled to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in September to take part in the Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
but despite leading after two rounds, the up and down season continued and he could not improve to leave Jan Železný on top once again ahead of Ēriks Rags
Eriks Rags
Ēriks Rags is a Latvian javelin thrower. His personal best throw is 86.47 metres, achieved in July 2001 in London.-Achievements:-External links:...
and Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer is a male American javelin thrower. He is an eight time American Champion and American record holder for the javelin with a throw of 91.29 meters, achieved on June 21, 2007 during the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis...
.
2002 Commonwealth and European champion
It was going to be a busy with two major back-to-back competitions, the Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth 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....
on 25 July – 4 August and the European Championships on 6–11 August .
On 31 July was the first test and with no major competition he knew that he had reclaimed his Commonwealth title after his very first throw of 86.81 in the City of 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...
Stadium. Runner up Scott Russell
Scott Russell (athletics)
Scott Russell , is a male javelin thrower from Canada.He finished fifth at the 1998 World Junior Championships, tenth at the 2001 Summer Universiade, won a silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, finished twelfth at the 2005 World Championships, eighth at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and tenth...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
was nearly eight metres back with (78.98) and 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...
's bronze medallist Nick Nieland
Nick Nieland
Dr Nicholas Nieland is a British javelin thrower.He was the British number three for many years...
managed only 78.63. This gave Backley a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
of Commonwealth titles.
The European Championships in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
would be much stiffer task with all of the World's leading exponents on show. Producing an opening throw of 86.29 and then surpassing that marginally in the third with 86.37 it was obvious that he was in form but he still trailed behind Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n leader Sergey Makarov who had sent out a massive 88.05 first round throw.
World record holder Jan Železný
Jan Železný
Jan Železný is a Czech javelin thrower, world and Olympic champion and world record holder in javelin throw...
again found the European title beyond him and did not manage to record a distance so was eliminated after the third round. This seemed to inspire Backley and the reigning champion went half a metre past the leader in the fifth with 88.54. Makarov couldn’t respond to this and ended up with silver with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Boris Henry
Boris Henry
Boris Henry is a German javelin thrower. He has won the bronze medal in the World Championships twice, in 1995 and again in 2003....
taking bronze with 85.33. This fantastic achievement made Backley the first British athlete to win four consecutive European Championship
European Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Championships is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. It is organised every four years, the same year as the Commonwealth Games and between the Summer Olympic Games cycle. After the 2010 Championships in Barcelona, the European Championships will take...
golds.
Closing career
Backley began the year having problems with a knee injury, but with an early season win in SwedenSweden
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....
under his belt another victory on 13 July at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Gateshead throwing 85.69 defeating Boris Henry (83.52) and Alexandr Ivanov (81.69), he put these firmly behind him,
A couple of weeks later at the North Down International at Bangor Northern Ireland his opening throw of 81.42m was once again good enough to see off the competition.
It was therefore disappointing when after managing to qualify for the final, only in seventh position, at the IAAF championship Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, on the final weekend of August, his third and best throw of only 80.13m could not take him through to the last eight in the Sunday final. Sergey Makarov took the title with 85.44 ahead of Andrus Värnik
Andrus Värnik
Andrus Värnik is an Estonian javelin thrower. His personal best set in 2003, 87.83 m, is also the Estonian record....
85.17 and Boris Henry 84.74 with these all being recorded in the first round.
In Backley's final year of competition in 2004, where he was hoping to add to his Olympic medal haul, he struggled to find form and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, in a wide-open field, he only made the final as the last non-automatic qualifier. In the final his third round throw of 84.13 metres pulled him up to fourth place but he could not improve on this and finished in that position unable to medal at his fourth consecutive games.
Personal best
Backley's personal best was 91.46 metres achieved on 25 January 1992 at North Shore City, New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Life outside athletics
Backley, was awarded the MBEOrder 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...
in the 1995 New Year’s Honours list and then an OBE
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...
in 2003.
He was also on a special Olympic medal winners version of Jungle Run
Jungle Run
Jungle Run was a British television series which aired on CITV as part of the ITV network from 1999 to 2006. It is a game show similar to Fort Boyard and The Crystal Maze...
. The team collected the most monkey statues ever, getting 3 minutes out of a possible 3 minutes and 20 seconds. The team walked out of the temple with about 35 seconds to spare. The other members of the team were Mark Foster
Mark Foster (swimmer)
Mark Andrew Foster is a British professional swimmer, specialising in butterfly and freestyle at 50 metres....
and Iwan Thomas
Iwan Thomas
Iwan Gwyn Thomas MBE is a sprinter who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympic Games in the 400 m, and Wales at the Commonwealth Games. Thomas is the current UK record holder at 400 m with a time of 44.36 seconds and is a former European and Commonwealth games champion...
.
He competed in the 2008 edition of Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
with partner Susie Lipanova
Susie Lipanova
Susie Lipanova on 6 June 1974, is a British ice skater from South Shields, South Tyneside, England.-Early life:Lipanova spent her early years skating at ice rinks in Sunderland and Whitley Bay. She competed in the British Junior Championships in 1990 and came 2nd...
and finished 7th.