Medal record
Kelly Holmes
Competitor for  United Kingdom
Women's athletics
Olympic Games
Gold	2004 Athens	800 m
Gold	2004 Athens	1500 m
Bronze	2000 Sydney	800 m
World Championships
Silver	1995 Gothenburg	1500 m
Silver	2003 Paris	800 m
Bronze	1995 Gothenburg	800 m
World Indoor Championships
Silver	2003 Birmingham	1500 m
European Championships
Silver	1994 Helsinki	1500 m
Bronze	2002 Munich	800 m
Commonwealth Games
Gold	1994 Victoria	1500 m
Gold	2002 Manchester	1500 m
Silver	1998 Kuala Lumpur	1500 m

Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE (born April 19, 1970) is a retired British middle-distance athlete. She won gold medals in the 800 metres and the 1500 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics. This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... 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. ... The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. ... 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. ... The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from August 23 to August 31, 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. ... 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. ... The International Association of Athletics Federations World Indoor Championships were inaugurated as the World Indoor Games in 1985 in Paris, France and were subsequently renamed in 1987 as they are known today. ... The 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham,UK between 14 March and 16 March 2003. ... The 16th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Helsinki, Finland. ... The 18th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Munich a city in Germany. ... Countries that competed The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held August 18-28, 1994 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ... The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from July 25 to August 4, 2002. ... 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... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Middle distance track events are track races longer than sprints up to (and arguably including) 5000 meters. ... A womens 400m hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... Gold Medal is an album by American band The Donnas, released in 2004. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ...

Early life and army career

Kelly Holmes was born in Pembury, Kent, the daughter of Derrick Holmes, a Jamaican-born car mechanic, and an English mother, Pam Norman. Her mother, 17 at the time of her birth, married painter and decorator Michael Norris two years later, whom Holmes regards as her father, and the couple had four more children before divorcing. Holmes grew up in Hildenborough and attended Hugh Christie Comprehensive School (now known as Hugh Christie Technology College) in Tonbridge at the age of 12. , Pembury is a large village in the county of Kent in the south-east of England, UK, with a population of around 6000. ... The Kent coat of arms For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ... Languages English Religions Christianity (Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism and other minority denominations), and other faiths. ... Hildenborough is a village and rural parish in the District of Tonbridge and Malling, Kent, located two miles north-west of Tonbridge and five miles south-east of Sevenoaks. ... Hugh Christie Technology College is an 11-18 Technology College utilising new technologies to create a personalised and engaging curriculum, and is based in Tonbridge, Kent. ... Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 31,600 in 2001. ...

She started training for athletics at the age of 12, joining Tonbridge Athletics Club, where she was coached by David Arnold and went on to win the English schools 1500 metres in her second season. Her hero was British middle distance runner Sebastian Coe, and she was inspired by Coe's successful 1984 Summer Olympics defence of his 1,500 m crown. Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, KBE (born 29 September 1956 in Chiswick, London) is an English athlete and Conservative Party politician. ... Music sample: Olympic Fanfare and Theme ( file info) — composed by John Williams for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Problems listening to the file? See media help. ...

However, Holmes later turned her back on athletics, joining the British Army at the age of 18, having left school two years earlier, working initially as a recreation assistant and later as a nursing assistant. In the Army, she was initially a lorry driver in the Women's Royal Army Corps, and when that corps was disbanded in 1992 she transferred to the Adjutant General's Corps as a physical trainer, reaching the rank of sergeant. She also became British Army judo champion, and in Army athletics events once competed in the men's 800 metres at a meeting, as it was considered that for her to run in the women's event would be too embarrassing for the other competitors. At another event, she competed in and won an 800 metres, a 3000 metres and a relay race all in a single day. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Womens Royal Army Corps (WRAC - sometimes pronounced phonetically as rack, a term unpopular with its members) was the corps to which all women in the British Army except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chaplains (who belonged to the same corps as the men) and nurses (who belonged... The Adjutant Generals Corps is a corps in the British Army responsible for many of its general administrative services. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... This article is about the martial art and sport. ...

Holmes watched the 1992 Summer Olympics on television, and seeing Lisa York in the heats of the 3,000 metres, an athlete whom she had competed against, and beaten, decided to return to athletics. For several years she combined both athletics and her employment in the army until increased funding allowed her to become a full-time athlete in 1997. The 92 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ...

2004 Summer Olympics

While training in 2003 for the 2004 Summer Olympics at a French training camp, Holmes suffered a number of leg injuries. Falling deep into depression, she began cutting herself. "I made one cut for every day that I had been injured", Holmes stated in an interview with News of the World newspaper. At least once, she considered suicide, but she eventually sought help from a doctor and was diagnosed with clinical depression. While she couldn't use anti-depressants because it would affect her performance, she began using herbal serotonin tablets. (In 2005, after her achievements at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Holmes chose to talk about her self-harm to show others that being a professional athlete is an extremely difficult thing to do and places the athlete under tremendous amounts of stress.) The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... Self-harm (SH) is deliberate injury to ones own body. ... Clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression when compared to bipolar disorder) is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... ... Serotonin (pronounced ) (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans. ...

2004 saw Holmes arrive at a major competition, the Athens Olympics, with no injury worries for just about the first time in her career. She had originally planned to compete in just the 1,500 m but a victory over Jolanda Čeplak before the games had many saying she should take her chance in the 800 as well. Holmes did not announce her decision to race in both events until five days before the 800 m finals. The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... Photo finish in Athens 2004 Jolanda ÄŒeplak (born Jolanda Steblovnik, September 12, 1976) is a Slovene middle distance athlete. ...

Along with three time world champion Maria Mutola and Čeplak, Holmes was considered one of the favourites for the gold medal in the 800 m. In the final, Holmes ran a well-paced race, ignoring a fast start by a number of the other competitors, and moved into the lead ahead of Mutola on the final bend, taking the gold on the line ahead of Hasna Benhassi and Čeplak, with Mutola in fourth. Holmes became the seventh British woman to win an athletics gold, and the second after Ann Packer in 1964 to win the 800 metres. The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. ... Maria de Lurdes Mutola (born October 27, 1972 in Maputo) is an athlete from Mozambique who has specialised in the 800 m. ... Hasna Benhassi (born June 1, 1978) is a Moroccan middle distance athlete. ... Ann Packer (born 8 March 1942) is a former British sprinter, hurdler and long-jumper. ...

Clearly in form, Holmes now became favourite for the her preferred event, the 1,500 metres on the 28 August. Her most difficult task now was maintaining her focus — she later revealed how after waking each morning she had put her medal on and cried. is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Again running from the rear of the field, she took the lead in the final straight, holding off World Champion Tatyana Tomashova of Russia. She thus became only the third woman in history to do the 800 and 1500 m double, after Tatyana Kazankina of the Soviet Union in 1976 and Svetlana Masterkova of Russia in 1996, the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals, and the country's first double gold medallist at the same games since Albert Hill in 1920. Her time of 3 minutes 57.90 seconds in the 1500 m final also set a new British record for the distance. Tatyana Tomashova (born July 1, 1975 in Perm) is a Russian middle distance runner. ... Tatyana Kazankina (born on December 17, 1951) was a Russian runner who set seven world records and won a total numer of three golden medals at the Olympic Games. ... The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were held in 1976 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... Svetlana Alexandrovna Masterkova (born January 17, 1968) is a former Russian middle distance runner. ... 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, Georgia, United States. ... For the First World War soldier, winner of the Victoria Cross, see Albert Hill VC. Albert George Hill ( March 24, 1889 – January 8, 1969) was a British athlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics. ... The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were held in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. ...

Subsequently, Holmes was given the honour of carrying the British flag at the closing ceremony of the games, on August 29, the day after her second victory. A home-coming parade was held in her honour through the streets of Hildenborough and Tonbridge on 1 September, which was attended by approximately 40,000 people. This was more than double the size of crowds at the parade through London for all the Olympic medallists, and roughly equivalent to the entire population of Hildenborough and Tonbridge (although there were many visitors from outside the local area). Holmes won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2004, saying she achieved her goals after "twenty years of dreaming". She also asserted the award was "the biggest sporting honour your country can give you". The tributes to her at the [[]]BBC awards ceremony were led by the six British female athletes who had previously won gold at the Olympic Games in a "Magnificent Seven"-style feature - those six being Mary Rand, Ann Packer, Mary Peters, Tessa Sanderson, Sally Gunnell and Denise Lewis. is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Hildenborough is a village and rural parish in the District of Tonbridge and Malling, Kent, located two miles north-west of Tonbridge and five miles south-east of Sevenoaks. ... Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 31,600 in 2001. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award is given to one sportsman or sportswoman, usually British, every year. ... The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 western film directed by John Sturges about a group of hired gunmen tasked with protecting a Mexican village from bandits. ... Mary Rand (nee Bignal, born 14 February 1940) is a former British athlete. ... Ann Packer (born 8 March 1942) is a former British sprinter, hurdler and long-jumper. ... Dame Mary Peters (born July 6, 1939) is a former British pentathlete. ... Tessa Sanderson CBE (born 14 March 1956) is a former British javelinist and heptathlete. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Denise Lewis OBE (born August 27, 1972, in West Bromwich, England) is a British athlete who specialises in the heptathlon. ...

Since the Summer Olympics

Holmes was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours List of 2005. She was presented with the honour by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 9 March 2005, accompanied by her parents and grandfather. DBE can stand for: Dominet Bank Ekstraliga Dame of the British Empire, an honorific in the United Kingdom Categories: | ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On December 28th 2004, she appeared on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is a British television programme first broadcast on December 28, 2004 , the second edition broadcast on 26 December 2005 and the third broadcast on December 27, 2006 on Channel 4. ...

On 21 August 2005, she competed in her final race in the UK, the 800 m at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix meeting in Sheffield. Her training schedule during the summer of 2005 had been disrupted by a recurrent Achilles tendon injury, and she finished the race in 8th place, limping across the finish line and completing a lap of honour on a buggy. is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. ... This is about vertebrate anatomy. ...

On 6 December 2005, Holmes announced her retirement from athletics stating she had reassessed her future after the death of a friend as well as citing a lack of motivation to continue. December 6 is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2006, Kelly appeared in ITV's Dancing On Ice, partnering with Olympian Todd Sand. For the Australian version of the show, see Torvill and Deans Dancing on Ice. ... American pairs figure skater Todd Sand won the bronze medal at the 1991 World Figure Skating Championship with partner Natasha Kuchiki. ...

Achievements

In addition to these achievements, Holmes has also won 12 national titles. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Countries that competed The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held August 18-28, 1994 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ... Location of Victoria within the Capital Regional District in British Columbia, Canada Country Canada Province British Columbia Regional District Capital Incorporated 1862[1] Government  - Mayor Alan Lowe (past mayors)  - Governing body Victoria City Council  - MP Denise Savoie  - MLAs Carole James, Rob Fleming Area [2]  - City 19. ... The 16th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Helsinki, Finland. ... Location of Helsinki in Northern Europe Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki Charter 1550 Capital city 1812 Government  - City manager Jussi Pajunen Area  - City 187. ... The IAAF World Cup is an international athletics competition. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Birmingham (pron. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... 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. ... Saint-Pierre dAscq church Located between Lille and Roubaix, at the crossroads of the principal freeways towards Paris, Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels, Villeneuve dAscq (which means New city of Ascq in French) is one of the principal cities of the communauté urbaine Lille Métropole. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... 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. ... Nickname: Motto: Maju dan makmur (Malay: Progress and Prosper) Location in Malaysia Coordinates: , Country Malaysia State Federal Territory Establishment 1857 Granted city status 1974 Government  - Mayor (Datuk Bandar) Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan From 14 December 2006 Area  - City 243. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of approximately 4. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The 18th European Championships in Athletics were in held in Munich a city in Germany. ... The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from July 25 to August 4, 2002. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from August 23 to August 31, 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... The 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham,UK between 14 March and 16 March 2003. ... The 1st IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 13, and September 14, 2003. ... Monte Carlo is a very wealthy section of the city-state of Monaco known for its casino, gambling, beaches, glamour, and sightings of famous people. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... Athens is the largest and the capital city of Greece, located in the Attica periphery. ... The 2nd IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 18, and September 19, 2004. ... The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award is given to one sportsman or sportswoman, usually British, every year. ...

Personal bests (from http://www.ukathletics.net/fans/past-greats/kelly-holmes/)

200m 24.8 (1996), 400m 53.8 (1996), 600m 1:25.41 (2003, UK best), 800m 1:56.21 (1995, UK record), 1000m 2:32.55 (1997, UK record), 1500m 3:57.90 (2004, UK record), 1M 4:28.04 (1998), 3000m 9:01.91 (2003), road 10km 34:54 (1997)

Indoors: 800m 1:59.21 (2003), 1000m 2:32.96 (2004), 1500m 4:02.66 (2003).

Trivia

In 2005 she named the P&O Cruise ship, Arcadia ^[1]

Bibliography

• My Olympic Ten Days (Kelly Holmes with Richard Lewis) ISBN 1-85227-222-8
• Kelly Holmes: Black, White & Gold:The Autobiography (Kelly Holmes) ISBN 1-85227-224-4

External links

• IAAF profile for Kelly Holmes
• UK Athletics
• The Guardian Profile
• BBC Sport Profile
• BBC Sport Holmes reveals self-harm ordeal
• BBC Sport Holmes makes emotional farewell