Eunice Barber
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1999 Seville | Heptathlon |
| Gold | 2003 Paris | Long Jump |
| Silver | 2003 Paris | Heptathlon |
| Silver | 2005 Helsinki | Heptathlon |
Eunice Barber (born November 17, 1974 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) is an athlete competing in heptathlon and long jump. Barber initially competed for Sierra Leone and then for France from 1999 onwards. She won the heptathlon at the World Championships in Athletics in 1999, the long jump in 2003 and finished second in heptathlon in 2003 and 2005.
Contents |
[edit] Debut
Barber participated in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona in the heptathlon and 100 m hurdles. She also participated in the heptathlon at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, but failed to finish.
[edit] Breakthrough
At the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, she beats her personal bests in six (out of seven) events in the heptathlon and gets the fourth place. The next year, she finished fifth in the heptathlon at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In those games, she also participated in the long jump (but did not qualify for the final).
[edit] Duels with Denise Lewis
Because of an injury, Eunice Barber could not compete before 1998. In February 1999, she became a French citizen (she has trained and lived in France since 1992).
In the 1999 World Championships heptathlon in Seville, she beats Denise Lewis by just 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.
In 2000, Eunice Barber recorded the year's best score of 6842 points. However during the Olympic Games in Sydney, an injury forces her to withdraw from the competition after five events. Denise Lewis wins the heptathlon.
[edit] Duels with Carolina Klüft
At the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, Carolina Klüft wins the heptathlon at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris with 7,001 points, ahead of Barber, who scores 6,755 points. In addition to her second place in the heptathlon, Barber wins the long jump competition (with her last attempt).
At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, Klüft and Barber battle again for the Gold Medal. Once again Klüft wins (with 6,887 points) and Barber takes the second place (with 6,824 points). Barber has won there also a bronze medal in the long jump.
At the 2006 European Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg she had to quit the heptathlon competition after just two disciplines because of a hip injury.
[edit] Police scuffle
In March 2006 she was heavy handled by a group of police officers following a minor traffic offence near Stade de France. Eunice will take the case to a court, but she could herself face charges for assaulting the police officers. [1]
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,408688,00.html (watch amateur video)
Categories: 1974 births | Living people | French athletes | Heptathletes | Sierra Leonean athletes | Krio People | Athletes at the 1992 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1996 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics | Olympic competitors for France | Olympic competitors for Sierra Leone
