Famous British Athletes

Katarina Johnson-Thompson is an English heptathlete whose performance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games earned her a gold medal. She also won the gold at the 2019 World Championships. Katarina Johnson-Thompson holds the British record for the women's pentathlon with 5,000 points. A highly talented athlete, Katarina Johnson-Thompson also holds the British records for high jump in both outdoors and indoors.

British middle-distance athlete and neurologist Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes. Before achieving such feat, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres during the 1952 Summer Olympics. In the medical field, Bannister became a neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford.

Sebastian Coe is a politician and former athlete who represented Great Britain in two Olympic events. He won four Olympic medals including two gold medals as a middle-distance runner. In 2012, he was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. The same year, Coe was honored at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Paula Radcliffe is a retired distance runner, credited with winning the London Marathon and the New York Marathon three times each. Born into an athletic family, she emerged as a running talent by the time she was in her teens, winning the world junior cross-country title at the age of nineteen, eventually. She held the Women's World Marathon Record from 2003 to 2019.

English track and field athlete is best remembered for his gold medal win in the 100m race at the Paris Olympics in 1924. Part of the Achilles Club, he and his exploits inspired the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Following his retirement, he became a broadcaster and sports administrator.

Jessica Ennis-Hill is a British retired track and field athlete. She specialized in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 meters hurdles. In 2012, she won an Olympic gold in the heptathlon. She was introduced to sports as a young girl and immediately took an interest in athletics. She has won several other titles as well in addition to her Olympic gold. 

Denise Lewis is a British sports commentator and former athlete. She won the heptathlon gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first European to win Olympic gold in the heptathlon. A two-time Commonwealth Games champion, Lewis also won silver medals in the 1997 and 1999 World Championships. She was also the 1998 European Champion. 

Linford Christie is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter who won gold medals in the 100 meters at the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships, and the Commonwealth Games. He is one of the most highly decorated British athletes of all time. He was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1993. 

Steve Cram is a British former athlete who dominated the middle-distance running event during the 1980s alongside other athletes like Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe. During the summer of 1985, Cram set world records in the mile run, 2000m, and 1500m during a 19-day period. He is the first person to run 1500m under three-and-a-half minutes.

The great-grandson of English footballer Jock Rutherford, Greg Rutherford had a brief stint with Aston Villa football club before he focused on athletics. The Milton Keynes athlete won a gold at the 2012 London Olympics, while his 8.29m jump at the 2016 Rio Olympics won him a bronze medal.

Kelly Holmes is a retired English middle-distance athlete who specialized in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters events. She won gold medals for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Beginning her career with the British Army, she turned to professional athletics in 1993. She took part in her final major championship in 2004. 

Daley Thompson is a British former athlete who specialized in decathlon. He has won gol medals in decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. He also broke the world record for decathlon on four occasions. He also won three Commonwealth titles and is regarded as the greatest decathlete ever. 

Winner of 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds, Tanni Grey-Thompson is a former wheelchair racer, who won the London Marathon six times and held more than 30 world records. Also a successful television personality and patron of numerous charities, she was created a Life Peer in 2010 and made Baroness Grey-Thompson of Eaglescliffe in Stockton-On-Tees.

Known for his signature laughter, Kriss Akabusi is a former track and field athlete who has three Olympic bronze medals to his credit. He also became a European Champion in 1990, breaking a 22-year British 400m hurdles record. He had previously also been part of the British Army.

Christine Ohuruogu is a British athlete who has won an Olympic gold medal, two World Championships, and a Commonwealth gold medal in the 400m event. She also has an Olympic silver medal and a couple of bronze medals under her belt. In 2016, she became the second British track and field athlete to win Olympic medals at three consecutive Games.

Apart from winning a gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Steve Ovett also set six world records. He once ruled the middle-distance running scene. A talented footballer in his teens, he later chose athletics, since he wanted to pursue a sport that wouldn’t make him dependent on his teammates.

Winner of the 1997 World Championship and the 1998 European Cup, British sprinter Iwan Thomas is the current UK 400m record holder, having run a time of 44.36s. He has also represented United Kingdom at the 1996 Olympic Games in the 400 metres.  A popular television personality, he makes regular appearances on small screen, mostly as guest, panelist or presenter.

Dwain Chambers is a British track sprinter known to be one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of athletics. He is the European record holder for the 60 meters with 6.42 seconds. He has won gold medals at the world and European levels in different tournaments. He faced a doping ban from 2006 to 2012. 

Mary Peters is a Northern Irish former athlete who specialized in the pentathlon and shot put. She was athletic from a young age and received encouragement from her father to pursue her passion. She represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Summer Olympics in 1972 and won the gold medal in the women's pentathlon.  

Brian Moore is an English former rugby union footballer. He played as a hooker for Nottingham, Harlequins, and Richmond. He was abandoned by his father as a child and had a difficult childhood. He sought solace in rugby and became a formidable player. He is currently a rugby presenter and pundit for BBC Sport, Talksport, and Love Sport Radio. 

Allan Wells is a Scottish former athlete who specialized in sprinting. He represented Great Britain at the 1980 Moscow Olympics where he won a gold medal and a silver medal in the 100 meters and 200 meters events, respectively. Allan Wells also won gold medals at other important tournaments, such as the IAAF World Cup, Commonwealth Games, and European Cup.

British track and field athlete, Lawrence Okoye played rugby for his school before taking up discuss throw. She won gold medal at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships and thereafter competed in the 2012 London Olympics in the following year. Later, he concentrated on football, participating in the NLF, before returning to discuss throwing, securing first place at 2021 European Athletics Team Championships.

Alistair Brownlee made history by becoming the only athlete with two Olympics medals in the triathlon event. His brother, Jonathan Brownlee, too, is a star athlete. Born to a runner father and a swimmer mother, he was introduced to triathlon by Simon Hearnshaw, his uncle, who was also an avid athlete.

Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player who won the BDO World Darts Championship in 1996. He is a former world no.1. He currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He made his World Championship debut in 1992 and established himself as a formidable player within a few years. He also participates in numerous marathons. 

Andy Goode is a retired rugby union player and a sports pundit. He has played professionally in England, France, and South Africa for different clubs during his extensive career.  He played over 400 games and scored over 4,000 points in a career that spanned almost two decades. He became a sports TV pundit after retiring. 

Stefanie Reid is a track and field para athlete. She represented Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games, where she won a bronze medal. She then represented Great Britain at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games, winning a silver medal in both the events. Stefanie Reid has also won a gold medal at the 2014 European Championships and 2017 World Championships.

British snowboarder Jenny Jones, especially known for winning Great Britain's first Olympic medal on the snow, rather than on ice, learned to ski before switching to snowboarding. Eventually she started representing her country in various international competitions, winning medals, making history by finishing third at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, earning a bronze medal in the women's slopestyle event.

Gethin Jenkins is a Welsh former rugby union player. He is the sixth most-capped player in rugby union history with 129 international caps for Wales and five for the British & Irish Lions. He retired from his highly successful playing career in 2018 and became a coach. He has held numerous coaching positions at Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFC. 

Rory Underwood is an English former rugby union player. He predominantly played in the wing position and spent the majority of his career with Leicester Tigers. He also played for Middlesbrough and Bedford Blues. He was previously a pilot with the Royal Air Force and has played for the RAF rugby team as well. 

Apart from the English national team, rugby player Steve Borthwick has also played for Bath and Saracens. He has also coached teams such as Japan and England and now serves as the head coach of the Leicester Tigers. He also boasts of an MS in management from the University of Hertfordshire.

English rugby player Lewis Moody began his career at the tender age of 18 with the Leicester Tigers. He ended his career with Bath Rugby. The tragic death of a teenage fan named Joss Rowley Stark inspired him to start the Lewis Moody Foundation, which spreads awareness about brain tumors.

Dario Gradi is an Italian-English former amateur football player turned coach and manager. He began his career playing as an amateur for several clubs before turning a coach cum manager. He was associated with Crewe Alexandra for more than 36 years in various capacities as a coach, manager, and director of football. He won the PFA Merit Award in 2004. 

Oliver Rowland began his racing career with karting at age 7. With enough funding from the Racing Steps Foundation, he later stepped into single-seater racing. He now competes in Formula E with Mahindra Racing and has also represented teams such as Nissan e.dams.

Known for his stint with the Super League teams Leeds Rhinos and the Bradford Bulls, Jamie Peacock has also captained the Great Britain and England teams. He started his career anew after retiring for a year. He also began a mental-health campaign to end the stress related to the COVID-19 lockdown.

With her 2007 World Youth Championship win, former junior gymnast and sprinter Asha Philip became first British female athlete to earn a global 100m title. A double mini trampoline world junior champion, she also boasts of a drama degree. She has won relay bronze medals in the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.

Alex Lynn began his career with Formula Renault UK and scored a record 12 wins from 20 starts. The ace British race driver has also competed for Formula E, with Mahindra Racing. In 2014, he became the first British racer to earn the coveted GP3 title.

Born in England and raised in the U.S., David Hemery competed for England as a hurdler and won the 400m gold at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He also has two Commonwealth gold medals to his credit. He owns the charity 21st Century Legacy and has penned several books, including a memoir.

English rugby player Nick Easter made his debut for England against Italy in 2007. He has also played for Orrell and Harlequins. The brother of retired rugby player Mark Easter, he is known for making the infamous remark “That's £35,000 down the toilet” after England's 2011 World Cup defeat to France.

Former rugby player James Hook remains Wales’s fourth-highest point-scorer. Post-retirement, he expressed his wish to serve as a coach. He has also become a children’s author with the series Chasing A Rugby Dream, the first book of which, Kick-off, is soon to be released, after a delay due to COVID-19.

Nicknamed Chaos, English darts player Kirk Shepherd made headlines when he became the youngest to compete in the finals of World Professional Darts Championship. He has been equally successful in both the BDO and PDC events. He is also known as The Karate Kid for his black belt in karate.