Denise Lewis OBE (born August 27, 1972, in West Bromwich, England) is a British athlete who specialises in the heptathlon. Her greatest triumph was winning the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. ... The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, United States. ... Mens Athletics Medal Winners at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics 100 m 200 m 400 m 800 m 1500 m 5,000 m 10,000 m Marathon 110 m Hurdles 400 m Hurdles 3,000 m Steeplechase 4 x 100 m Relay 4 x 400 m 20 km Walk 50... The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10. ... The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29. ... Countries that competed The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held August 18-28, 1994 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ... The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September 11 to September 21 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for 20th Century. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Map sources for West Bromwich at grid reference SO9992 West Bromwich is a town in the English county of the West Midlands, five miles north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London to Holyhead trunk road. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... A heptathlon is a sportive contest made up of seven events (from the Greek hepta (seven) and athlon (contest)). More specifically, the term heptathlon refers to an athletic (track and field) event consisting of seven events. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ...

Early career

In her early years Lewis enjoyed singing in her local choir and studied ballet and tap-dancing. After joining Birchfield Harriers and competing in several events it became apparent that the Heptathlon should be her chosen event, though at a younger age she admits that she mostly enojoyed the social part of athletics. Her first attempt at the event in 1989 was rewarded with a promising but not outstanding score of 5277 points. Painting of ballet dancers by Edgar Degas, 1872. ... The American style of rhythmic foot stomping known as tap dance was born in the United States during the 19th century, and today is popular all around the world. ... Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club is an athletics club, founded in 1877. ... A heptathlon is a sportive contest made up of seven events (from the Greek hepta (seven) and athlon (contest)). More specifically, the term heptathlon refers to an athletic (track and field) event consisting of seven events. ...

In 1991 at the European Junior Championships, held at Thessaloniki Greece Lewis came a creditable fifth with 5476 points. Natalya Sazanovich representing Belarus took the gold medal here and was to become a long time rival in future years. Thessaloniki, (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη), is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia and the periphery of Central Macedonia. ... Natalya Sazanovich (born August 15, 1973 in Baranavičy) is a former Belarusian heptathlete who won two Olympic medals. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ...

Breakthrough

The major breakthrough came at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada where Lewis took gold, with 6325 points, ahead of the Australian Jane Flemming (silver) and Catherine Bond-Mills (bronze) of the host country. Countries that competed The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held August 18-28, 1994 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ... Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, the westernmost Canadian province. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... Jane Christina Flemming (born April 14, 1965) is a former Australian Olympic track and field athlete. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Standard atomic weight 107. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ...

At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg Sweden Lewis could only manage a lowly 7th place, with an average score of 6299, behind winner Ghada Shouaa of Syria. The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden between August 5 and August 13. ... Location of Gothenburg in northern Europe Coordinates: Country Sweden County Västra Götaland County Province Västergötland Charter 1621 Government  - Mayor Göran Johansson Area  - City 450 km²  (174 sq mi)  - Water 14. ... Ghada Shouaa (born September 10, 1972) is a former Syrian heptathlete. ...

At the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA she claimed bronze, her first Olympic medal, once again behind Ghada Shouaa (gold) and Natalya Sazanovich silver.
Lewis also competed in the long jump at this games jumping 6.33 m but not qualifying for the final. The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, United States. ... Hotlanta redirects here. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Ghada Shouaa (born September 10, 1972) is a former Syrian heptathlete. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Standard atomic weight 107. ...

In the 1997 World Championships in Athina Greece Lewis managed to improve on her Gothenburg attempt by taking silver, 6654 points, behind the Germany's Sabine Braun, 6739 points, who had led from the first event and despite a comeback by Lewis on day two. They were joined on the rostrum by Lithuanian Remigija Nazaroviene. The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10. ... The Acropolis in central Athens is home to ancient monuments of Athens — a mainstay of its thriving tourism industry Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Ath na) is the capital of Greece, and also the capital of the Attica region of Greece. ... Location of Gothenburg in northern Europe Coordinates: Country Sweden County Västra Götaland County Province Västergötland Charter 1621 Government  - Mayor Göran Johansson Area  - City 450 km²  (174 sq mi)  - Water 14. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Standard atomic weight 107. ... Sabine Braun (born June 19, 1965 in Essen) is a German Olympic athlete in track and field. ... Remigija NazarovienÄ—, née SablovskaitÄ— (born 2 June 1967 in Ashkabad, Turkmen SSR) is a retired Lithuanian heptathlete. ...

Although not scoring highly Lewis tasted gold again, with 6513 points, a year later at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ahead of Jane Jamieson of Australia and Joanne Henry of New Zealand. Not one to be happy with one gold this year Lewis also took 1st place in the European Athletics Championship, with 6559 points, pushing long time rival Natalya Sazanovich into third behind Urszula Wlodarczyk of Poland. GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September 11 to September 21 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for 20th Century. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Jane Jamieson (born 23 June 1975) is a track and field athlete from Australia. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... The European Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. ... Urszula Włodarczyk (born 22 December 1965 in Wałbrzych) is a retired Polish heptathlete. ...

In the Seville 1999 World Championships heptathlon, Eunice Barber took a 58 point lead after the first event the 100 m hurdles clocking a personal best of 12.89 seconds. Another personal best of 1.93 m in the next, the high jump extended her lead to 185 despite Lewis also recording a personal best of 1.87 m. Another P.B. for Lewis in the third event, the shot put followed with 16.12m and with Barber struggling in at only 12.37 m the lead changed to give the Brit a 35 point lead. The final event on day one was the 200 m and Barber turned the tables again to hold a single point lead overnight. NO8DO (I was not abandoned) Location Coordinates : ( ) Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Sevilla (Spanish) Spanish name Sevilla Founded 8th-9th century BC Postal code 41001-41080 Website http://www. ... The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29. ... Eunice Barber (born November 17, 1974 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is an athlete competing in heptathlon and long jump. ... Gold medal winner Ethel Catherwood of Canada scissors over the bar at the 1928 Summer Olympics. ... Shot put The shot put is an athletics (track and field) event involving putting (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal ball (called the shot) as far as possible. ...

Day two started with the long jump with Barber out jumping her rival by 22 cm to take a 73 point lead. Another P.B. of 49.88 m for Barber in the Javelin extended this to a massive 120 points. In the final event the 800 m Barber took the bell in front and eventually beat Lewis by just over a second to take the gold by 137 points with a personal best total of 6861 points with Lewis safely in second by a further 224 points to third placed Ghada Shouaa. Long jumper at the GE Money Grand Prix in Helsinki, July 2005. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 800m is a common track running event. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ...

Despite injury worries at the beginning of the season the new millennium got off to a positive start for the 27 year old and on July 20 she broke her own Commonwealth record by 95 points recording a total of 6831, in Talence France. Now she could look forward to her main goal, the Olympics in September with great confidence but come the time for the event she was wearing strapping to protect a calf injury. July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... Talence is a commune in the département of Gironde and the Aquitaine région of France. ...

2000 Olympics

Saturday September 23 was the date of the start of the 2000 Summer Olympics heptathlon. In the first event Lewis recorded 13.23 seconds for the 100 m hurdles to lie second behind the reigning world champion Eunice Barber who had finished in 12.97, the astonishing news was the withdrawal of reigning Olympic champion Ghada Shouaa who had pulled out after only 20 metres of her heat. This have increased her confidence but after a dreadful high jump of only 1.75 m, some way off her personal best, she free fell down the leader board to 8th place some 152 points behind Barber who had increased her lead. Fighting back in the next event the shot put recording 15.55 m Lewis leap frogged over Barber whose 11.27 m saw her now lying 8th with Natalya Sazanovich taking the lead ahead of Lewis in 2nd by just 30 points who herself lay a mere 45 points ahead of the former world champion Sabine Braun. The final event of day one was less sensational with the only major turnaround being the jump from 6th to 2nd by Natalya Roschupkina of Russia with Sabine Braun sliding down to 6th. September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... A heptathlon is a sportive contest made up of seven events (from the Greek hepta (seven) and athlon (contest)). More specifically, the term heptathlon refers to an athletic (track and field) event consisting of seven events. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... Gold medal winner Ethel Catherwood of Canada scissors over the bar at the 1928 Summer Olympics. ... Shot put The shot put is an athletics (track and field) event involving putting (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal ball (called the shot) as far as possible. ...

The scoreboard at the finish of day one being:

1. Natalya Sazanovich BLR 3903;
2. Natalya Roshchupkina RUS 3872;
3. Denise Lewis GBR 3852;
4. Urszula Wlodarczyk POL 3805;
5. Yelena Prokhorova RUS 3771;
6. Sabine Braun GER 3770;
7. Eunice Barber FRA 3707;
8. Karin Specht-Ertl GER 3697

Day two started with a close long jump Yelena Prokhorova landing marginally further than both Sazanovich and Lewis. Roshchupkina's stay near the top had been brief as she fell back down to 8th and a clearly struggling Eunice Barber having to withdraw after event five. Yelena Prokhorova (born April 16, 1978) is a Russian heptathlete who won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. ...

Event six was the javelin and Lewis pulled out a throw of 50.19 m and with her closest rivals some way further back she leapt into 1st with Sazanovich 63 points behind in 2nd with Prokhorova in 3rd a further 83 points away. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

With just the final leg left, the 800 m Lewis knew exactly what she had to do. In far from ideal conditions she kept her eye on the distances between the main contenders but Prokhorova pulled away to win the heat convincingly and when Lewis crossed the line behind Sazanovich also no one was quite sure who had won. Standing exhausted after two days of hard fought competition the athletes had to wait for the stadium announcer to declare that Denise of Great Britain was the winner to join all of the other Olympic medalists in athletics (women) with Yelena Prokhorova finishing second a mere four points ahead of Natalya Sazanovich. Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events. ... These are the female Olympic medalists in athletics. ...

Her achievement was ranked 90th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002. The 100 Greatest Sporting Moments was a British television programme in the 100 Greatest / 100 Worst strand on Channel 4. ...

2004 Olympics

Lewis came into defend her Olympic heptathlon in 2004 carrying injuries, but aiming for a bronze medal but had to pull out injured. Team-mate and training partner Kelly Sotherton took bronze. Kelly Sotherton Kelly Jade Sotherton (born 13 November 1976) is a British heptathlete. ...

Awards and recognition

Alongside Kelly Holmes and Paula Radcliffe, Lewis is one of the current "golden girls" of British athletics and has twice, 1998 and 2000, been runner up in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In 1993 Lewis was put forward as a candidate in the BBC Midlands great midlander of all-time award but lost out to eventual winner Reginald Mitchell the inventor of the Supermarine Spitfire. Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE (born April 19, 1970) is a retired English middle distance athlete. ... Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE (born December 17, 1973) is a British long-distance runner. ... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award is given to one sportsman or sportswoman, usually British, every year. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... Reginald Joseph Mitchell (20 May 1895-11 June 1937) was an aeronautical engineer, most notable for his design of the Supermarine Spitfire. ... The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used primarily by the RAF and many Allied countries through the Second World War and into the 1950s. ...

Her Commonwealth Record of 6831 points set on July 30 in Talence, France is currently 22nd in the all time list. July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 154 days remaining. ...

Personal bests

• 100 m hurdles - 13.13 seconds
• 200 m - 24.10 seconds
• 800 m - 2 min 12.20 seconds
• long jump - 6.69 m
• high jump - 1.87 m
• shot put - 16.12 m
• javelin - 51.13 m
• heptathlon - 6831 points

Strictly Come Dancing

In 2004, Lewis took part in the BBC dancing competition, Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered alongside professional dancer, Ian Waite and in the first few weeks scored the highest number of points with the judges. She didn't achieve her tongue-in-cheek ambition of a foxtrot round the dance floor with the IOC president, Jacques Rogge. She eventually got to the final and became runner up to actress Jill Halfpenny. After this, she and the two other partners from the final, got to dance at the Royal Variety Performance. The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, shown on BBC One based on ballroom dancing. ... Ian Waite is a professional Latin-American dancer. ... Jacques Rogge (born May 2, 1942) is a Belgian orthopaedic surgeon and has been the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2001. ... Jill Halfpenny Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is a British actress. ... The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held in the United Kingdom once each year, usually in a theatre in Londons West End. ...

About 10 days after competing in the final of Strictly Come Dancing, Denise and Ian competed again in the Strictly Come Dancing Champion of Champions Special, where the finalists from both series of the contest, competed against each other. Denise received the most points from the judges, however she once again became the runner up of the contest, as Jill Halfpenny won overall.

Bibliography

• Personal Best (Denise Lewis) ISBN 0-7126-7737-2

Family life

Lewis's ex partner is the Belgian sprinter Patrick Stevens and they have a young daughter named Lauryn. They split at the beginning of 2004

Denise is now married to Steve Finan.

External links

• IAAF profile for Denise Lewis
• Homepage of Birchfield Harriers
• Biography from uk:athletics