William Sharman
Encyclopedia
William "Will" Sharman (born 12 September 1984) is a British
athlete who specialises in the 110 metres hurdles
. He started his career as a junior high jump
er and decathlete, but focused entirely on hurdling
after a shoulder injury. He made his international debut for Great Britain
at the 2006 European Athletics Championships and went on to compete at the 2007 Summer Universiade
. Sharman came to prominence in 2009, after he significantly improved upon his previous personal best and finished fourth in the sprint hurdles final
at the 2009 World Championships
.
Initially coached by John Anderson, he was a timekeeper for the UK television series Gladiators. He is also a classically trained pianist and holds two university degrees.
, Nigeria
on 12 September 1984 but his family moved shortly after to the United Kingdom
and he grew up in Corby
, Northamptonshire
.
His first experiences of track and field
competition were as a junior high jump
er and John Anderson, the referee for the UK television series Gladiators and coach of former world record holder Dave Moorcroft, urged him to focus on athletics. Training at Corby Athletics Club, he began competing in the decathlon
and 110 metres hurdles
and he became the #1 ranked under-20 British athlete in both disciplines. At the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) under-20s championships in 2003, he won the decathlon. His first major junior competition was the 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships
, where he finished fifth in the 110 m hurdles final. He competed at the 2004 AAA meeting and finished third in the hurdles, behind Robert Newton
and Paul Gray. At the 2005 European Athletics U23 Championships
, Sharman was just outside of the medals with a fourth place finish. A shoulder injury that year had impaired his javelin throw
ing ability and he made the decision to abandon the decathlon in order to focus solely on hurdling
.
.
The following year represented a breakthrough into the senior circuit, as he was invited to the Birmingham Indoor Games and other high profile meetings. Sharman moved to Loughborough University
and began to train with Polish
hurdles coach George Maciukiewicz. He finished third at the UK Championships, both indoors (60 metres hurdles
) and outdoors, beaten by Andy Turner
and Allan Scott
both times. He competed at the Bislett Games
in 2007 where he ran his season's best of 13.68 seconds, making him the second fastest British athlete that year after Turner. He attended the 2007 Summer Universiade
but only reached the semi-finals of the competition.
In 2008, Sharman again finished behind Turner and Scott at the national Olympic trials, but he was optimistic about making the qualification standard of 13.55 seconds for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Ultimately, however, his best of the season was a wind-aided
13.59 s thus he was not included in the British Olympic squad
.
he finished fourth with a disappointing 14.08 seconds, making selection seem unlikely. However, he was a last-minute call up for the British team
: he was not included in the original line-up but he set a new personal best of 13.44 seconds in Loughborough
in July, making the "A" qualification standard
for the event.
He was the fifth fastest qualifier in the heats of the 110 m hurdles, but he made more of an impact in the semi-finals: the favourite in the race, world record holder Dayron Robles
, pulled up injured and Sharman emphatically won with a personal best of 13.38, celebrating as he crossed the finish line. In the final race
he finished in fourth position with another best of 13.30 seconds, becoming the second surprise performer of the final after winner Ryan Brathwaite
. The fourth place finish made him the fastest European in the final, equalling Turner's European season's best, and placed him at number five on the all-time British list. His performance at the event was singled out as one of the highlights of the British team: he made the biggest improvement by a British athlete in terms of ranking, having been ranked 103rd in the world at the start of the year.
Following the World Championships, Sharman stated that a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics would be one of his aims for the future. He performed well on the athletics circuit, finishing just a hundredth behind David Payne
at the British Grand Prix
and taking a close fourth place at Memorial Van Damme
.
A wrist injury ruled Sharman out of competition at the start of 2010, but he returned in time for the national championships and defeated Andrew Turner to lift his first outdoor title. Their fortunes were reversed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships as Sharman was disqualified in the semi-finals while Turner won the competition. The pair duelled again at the Commonwealth Games
in New Delhi
. A stomach bug affected him during the event but he managed to complete and English podium sweep alongside Turner and Lawrence Clarke
, taking home the silver medal
– his first at a major international competition.
, is a classically trained pianist
, has a university degree in economics
from Leicester University and a master's
in banking and finance from Loughborough University
. Furthermore, he was a member of the BBC
Youth Orchestra of the Year and a timekeeper
for the Gladiators television series.
His brother, Richard Sharman, is also an international sportsman and he competed at the 2007 Bobsleigh World Championships
. His father David Sharman was also involved in sport, previously playing rugby union
for Northampton Saints
, in addition to being a professional pianist.Though his sister Sarah Sharman followed in the sporting tracks, she went down the artistic route to become a dancer/actor. William Sharman became a father in 2009, having a son, Joshua, with then-fiancée Lyna. They married in late 2010.
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 specialises in the 110 metres hurdles
110 metres hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight...
. He started his career as a junior high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
er and decathlete, but focused entirely on hurdling
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
after a shoulder injury. He made his international debut for 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...
at the 2006 European Athletics Championships and went on to compete at the 2007 Summer Universiade
2007 Summer Universiade
The 2007 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXIV Summer Universiade, took place in Bangkok, Thailand.-Medal table:-External links:***...
. Sharman came to prominence in 2009, after he significantly improved upon his previous personal best and finished fourth in the sprint hurdles final
2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles
The men's 110 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium 19 and 20 August.Just as he had done at the 2008 Olympic final, former world record holder Liu Xiang missed the competition through injury, leaving the reigning Olympic champion and world...
at the 2009 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....
.
Initially coached by John Anderson, he was a timekeeper for the UK television series Gladiators. He is also a classically trained pianist and holds two university degrees.
Junior career
Sharman was born in LagosLagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
on 12 September 1984 but his family moved shortly after to the United Kingdom
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...
and he grew up in Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
His first experiences of 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...
competition were as a junior high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
er and John Anderson, the referee for the UK television series Gladiators and coach of former world record holder Dave Moorcroft, urged him to focus on athletics. Training at Corby Athletics Club, he began competing in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
and 110 metres hurdles
110 metres hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight...
and he became the #1 ranked under-20 British athlete in both disciplines. At the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) under-20s championships in 2003, he won the decathlon. His first major junior competition was the 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships
2003 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships was held in Tampere, Finland from 23–27 July 2003. A total of 44 events were contested; 22 by men and 22 by women. Germany had the biggest medal haul with nine golds and a total of 27, closely followed by Russia . Great Britain was third with 17...
, where he finished fifth in the 110 m hurdles final. He competed at the 2004 AAA meeting and finished third in the hurdles, behind Robert Newton
Robert Newton (athlete)
Robert Alan Newton is a British hurdling athlete. As of 2004, he was Britain's number one sprint hurdler...
and Paul Gray. At the 2005 European Athletics U23 Championships
2005 European Athletics U23 Championships
The 2005 European Athletics U23 Championships is the 2005 version of the European Athletics U23 Championships. It was held in Erfurt.-Men's Results:-Women's:-Medals table:-Notes and references:* *...
, Sharman was just outside of the medals with a fourth place finish. A shoulder injury that year had impaired his javelin throw
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...
ing ability and he made the decision to abandon the decathlon in order to focus solely on hurdling
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
.
Senior breakthrough
Sharman performed well on the British athletics circuit in 2006, winning three of the hurdles races building up to the 2006 European Athletics Championships, and also winning at the AAA under-23 competition with a personal best of 13.49 seconds. As a result, he was selected for the Great Britain team for the event, his first major championships. However, he did not progress beyond the heats of the 110 m hurdles and finished fourth, beaten to the qualification spot by Dániel KissDániel Kiss
Dániel Kiss is a Hungarian hurdler. He holds national record in both outdoor and indoor sprint hurdle events.He finished 7th in the 110m hurdles final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg....
.
The following year represented a breakthrough into the senior circuit, as he was invited to the Birmingham Indoor Games and other high profile meetings. Sharman moved to 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...
and began to train with Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
hurdles coach George Maciukiewicz. He finished third at the UK Championships, both indoors (60 metres hurdles
60 metres hurdles
60 metres hurdles is a distance in hurdling which is generally run in indoor competitions. It is equivalent with the first 60 metres including the first 5 hurdles of a standard outdoor hurdle race. The current women's and men's world records are 7.68 seconds and 7.30 seconds ,...
) and outdoors, beaten by Andy Turner
Andy Turner (athlete)
Andrew Steven "Andy" Turner is an English track and field athlete, competing in the 110 metres hurdles, and occasionally the 100 and 200 metres sprints as well as long jump...
and Allan Scott
Allan Scott (athlete)
Allan Scott is a Scottish hurdler. Scott, a member of the Shaftsbury Barnet Harriers athletics club, represented Great Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.-References:**Power of 10 profile for...
both times. He competed at the Bislett Games
Bislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...
in 2007 where he ran his season's best of 13.68 seconds, making him the second fastest British athlete that year after Turner. He attended the 2007 Summer Universiade
2007 Summer Universiade
The 2007 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXIV Summer Universiade, took place in Bangkok, Thailand.-Medal table:-External links:***...
but only reached the semi-finals of the competition.
In 2008, Sharman again finished behind Turner and Scott at the national Olympic trials, but he was optimistic about making the qualification standard of 13.55 seconds for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Ultimately, however, his best of the season was a wind-aided
Wind assistance
Wind assistance is a term in track and field, which refers to the wind level during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge. Wind is one of many forms of weather which can affect sport....
13.59 s thus he was not included in the British Olympic squad
Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The United Kingdom was represented by the British Olympic Association , and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. Britain is one of only five NOCs to have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since 1896...
.
First World Championships and Commonwealth Games
At the British trials for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics2009 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....
he finished fourth with a disappointing 14.08 seconds, making selection seem unlikely. However, he was a last-minute call up for the British team
Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
Great Britain and Northern Ireland is competing at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics from 15–23 August. UK Athletics announced a team of 60 athletes in July in preparation for the competition, although it was known that some athletes might not compete due to injury...
: he was not included in the original line-up but he set a new personal best of 13.44 seconds 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...
in July, making the "A" qualification standard
2009 World Championships in Athletics qualification standards
The following marks are the A and B qualification standards for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. Each country may send a maximum of four athletes who have attained the A qualification mark in each specific event. A maximum of three athletes can compete in that event, with the sole...
for the event.
He was the fifth fastest qualifier in the heats of the 110 m hurdles, but he made more of an impact in the semi-finals: the favourite in the race, world record holder Dayron Robles
Dayron Robles
Dayron Robles is a track and field athlete who specialises in the 110 metre hurdles.He won his first major medal in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He finished the 2006 season having improved his outdoor best to 13 seconds and become the Central American and...
, pulled up injured and Sharman emphatically won with a personal best of 13.38, celebrating as he crossed the finish line. In the final race
2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles
The men's 110 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium 19 and 20 August.Just as he had done at the 2008 Olympic final, former world record holder Liu Xiang missed the competition through injury, leaving the reigning Olympic champion and world...
he finished in fourth position with another best of 13.30 seconds, becoming the second surprise performer of the final after winner Ryan Brathwaite
Ryan Brathwaite
Ryan Brathwaite is a track and field athlete from Barbados who won the gold medal in the 110 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin...
. The fourth place finish made him the fastest European in the final, equalling Turner's European season's best, and placed him at number five on the all-time British list. His performance at the event was singled out as one of the highlights of the British team: he made the biggest improvement by a British athlete in terms of ranking, having been ranked 103rd in the world at the start of the year.
Following the World Championships, Sharman stated that a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics would be one of his aims for the future. He performed well on the athletics circuit, finishing just a hundredth behind David Payne
David Payne (athlete)
David Payne is an American hurdler. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and his family moved to the suburb of Wyoming. Payne competed in the 110 and 400 meter hurdles while attending the University of Cincinnati...
at the British Grand Prix
British Grand Prix (athletics)
The British Grand Prix is an annual athletics meeting. It is part of the IAAF Diamond League series of track and field meets and it is sponsored by Aviva...
and taking a close fourth place at Memorial Van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
.
A wrist injury ruled Sharman out of competition at the start of 2010, but he returned in time for the national championships and defeated Andrew Turner to lift his first outdoor title. Their fortunes were reversed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships as Sharman was disqualified in the semi-finals while Turner won the competition. The pair duelled again at the 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...
. A stomach bug affected him during the event but he managed to complete and English podium sweep alongside Turner and Lawrence Clarke
Lawrence Somerset Clarke
Charles Lawrence Somerset Clarke was born in Westminster, London on 12 March 1990. He commonly goes by his second name, Lawrence. Lawrence is the son of Sir Toby Clarke, 6th Baronet and is the heir apparent to the baronetcy.-Education:...
, taking home the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
– his first at a major international competition.
Personal life
In addition to being a world-class international hurdler, Sharman has a diverse range of other talents: he plays the cornetCornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
, is a classically trained pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, has a university degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from Leicester University and a master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in banking and finance from 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...
. Furthermore, he was a member of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Youth Orchestra of the Year and a timekeeper
Timekeeper
A timekeeper is an instrument or person that measures the passage of time; in the case of the latter, often with the assistance of a clock or stopwatch...
for the Gladiators television series.
His brother, Richard Sharman, is also an international sportsman and he competed at the 2007 Bobsleigh World Championships
FIBT World Championships 2007
The FIBT World Championships 2007 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland for the record twenty-first time, doing so previously in 1931 , 1935 , 1937 , 1938 , 1939 , 1947, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1965, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989 , 1990 , 1997 , 1998 , and 2001...
. His father David Sharman was also involved in sport, previously playing rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
, in addition to being a professional pianist.Though his sister Sarah Sharman followed in the sporting tracks, she went down the artistic route to become a dancer/actor. William Sharman became a father in 2009, having a son, Joshua, with then-fiancée Lyna. They married in late 2010.
Personal bests
| Event | Best | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres hurdles 60 metres hurdles 60 metres hurdles is a distance in hurdling which is generally run in indoor competitions. It is equivalent with the first 60 metres including the first 5 hurdles of a standard outdoor hurdle race. The current women's and men's world records are 7.68 seconds and 7.30 seconds ,... |
7.69 s | 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... , Czech Republic |
26 February 2009 |
| 110 metres hurdles 110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight... |
13.30 s | Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany |
20 August 2009 |
| Other bests | |||
| Event | Best | 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... |
6.89 s | Lee Valley Park Lee Valley Park Lee Valley Regional Park is a long linear park, much of it green spaces, running through the northeast of London, Essex and Hertfordshire from the River Thames to Ware in Hertfordshire, England through areas such as Hackney, Tottenham, Enfield, Stratford, Tower Hamlets, Walthamstow, Cheshunt,... , England |
28 January 2007 |
| 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... |
10.86 s | Woerden Woerden Woerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.-Population... , Netherlands |
27 August 2005 |
| 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... |
21.59 s | Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... , Switzerland |
11 June 2006 |
| 400 metres 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and... |
48.53 s | Woerden Woerden Woerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.-Population... , Netherlands |
27 August 2005 |
| High jump High jump The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years.... |
2.08 m | Woerden Woerden Woerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.-Population... , Netherlands |
27 August 2005 |
| 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... |
4.00 m | 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... , England |
30 July 2005 |
| Long jump Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point... |
7.08 m | Calais Calais Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras.... , France |
6 August 2005 |
| Heptathlon Heptathlon A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:... |
5278 pts | 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... , England |
16 January 2005 |
| Decathlon Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not... |
7384 pts | Woerden Woerden Woerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.-Population... , Netherlands |
27 August 2005 |
- All information taken from IAAF and Power of 10 profiles.
External links
- Official website
- UK AthleticsUK AthleticsUK 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....
profile for William Sharman