Tasha Danvers-Smith

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**Natasha Danvers**

Country	Great Britain
Club
Date of birth	September 19, 1977
Place of birth	London
Height
Weight
Turned Pro
Personal Best
Titles
Olympic Finals:	2000 Olympics- 8th 400m H
World Finals:
Highest World Ranking:	6 (2006/2007)
Infobox last updated on: January 20, 2007.

Natasha 'Tasha' Danvers-Smith (born September 19, 1977, London) is a British hurdler. She won the 400 m hurdles at the 2001 Summer Universiade and won the silver medal in the same event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She finished 8th in the 400 m hurdles final at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She also finished 7th in both the 2002 European Athletics Championships and the 2006 European Athletics Championships.

She won the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games after taking two years off to give birth to her son, Jaden Wayde Smith. Prior to winning the silver in Melbourne she ran one race, the Melbourne grand Prix and won. Tasha finished the season ranked 6th in the IAAF rankings. A promising return after many said she would never return from child birth.

While competing for the University of Southern California (USC), Natasha won several PAC-10 conference titles and competed in several events including the high jump and the 100 m hurdles. Natasha won the NCAA title in 2000 her second year as captain of the USC Lady Trojans. After the Sydney Olympics she returned to Los Angeles to finish her degree in Music Business and joined the famed training group HSI.

In 2003 she married her coach, Darrell Smith, nephew of renowned sprint coach John Smith. She returns to London every summer to see her family and friends and compete on the European circuit.

In February 2007, Tasha will be inducted into the USC Hall of Fame.

Best Marks: 300 m, 37.80 (2000); 400 m, 53.26 (1998); 100 m hurdles, 12.96 (2003); 400 m hurdles, 54.02 (2003); High jump, 1.82 m [5 feet 11.75 inches] (1998)