| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | English | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 March 1990 London, England |
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| Residence | Bath, Somerset | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb; 12.1 st) | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running / Hurdling | |||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 110m Hurdles | |||||||||||||||
| College/university team | Bristol University | |||||||||||||||
| Club | Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow Athletics Club | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Charles Lawrence Somerset Clarke was born in Westminster, London on 12 March 1990.[1] [2] He commonly goes by his second name, Lawrence. Lawrence is the son of Sir Toby Clarke, 6th Baronet and is the heir apparent to the baronetcy.[3]
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Educated at Preparatory school Summer Fields,[4] then Eton College, Berkshire. He went on to study Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Bristol.[5]
His maternal grandfather was the Conservative MP Somerset de Chair. Lawrence's step uncle is Jacob Rees-Mogg MP for North East Somerset, who is married to Mr de Chair's last daughter, Helena de Chair. Helena's mother is Lady Juliet Wentworth-Fitzwilliam,[6] only child of Peter Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 8th Earl FitzWilliam.[7] Former Clarke Baronets include Sir Charles Mansfield Clarke, 1st Baronet who was Royal Physician to Queen Adelaide,[8] General Sir Charles Clarke GCB GCVO, 3rd Baronet, and Sir Orme Bigland Clarke, 4th Baronet CBE. Through his father (via his great-grandmother, Elfrida Roosevelt) he is first cousin, four times removed from President Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States.[9]
Lawrence placed fourth in the 110m hurdles at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India. He was also the British University (BUCS) champion in the 60m hurdles (2009) with a time of 7.83 seconds and 110m Champion (2010) in a time of 13.85 seconds.[10]
Lawrence held the number one spot on the British All Time list for the Under 20 mens 3"3 110m Hurdles until 23 May 2010. He established a new National Junior Record with a personal best of 13.37 seconds whilst also winning gold at European Junior Athletics Championships in July 2009, in Novi Sad, Serbia. [1].[11][12] Jack Meredith won the 2010 Loughborough International U20 Invitation 110m in a new British Record of 13.36, beating Clarke's record by 0.01.[13]
In June 2010, Lawrence won the UK National Under23 Title in a wind-assisted time (+2.5 m/s) of 13.60secs.[14] He successfully defended this title in June 2011 in his season debut that year. In July 2011 he won the Aviva Senior UK Trials and Championships in a new personal best of 13.58 (-0.8 m/s).
On Friday 8 October 2010, Lawrence won the Bronze medal at the XIX Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. He finished 3rd behind two other English hurdlers: Andy Turner (2010 European Champion) and William Sharman. It is the first time in history that England have completed a 1-2-3 clean sweep in the 110m hurdles.[15]
He competed at the 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea where he went out in the first round with a time of 13.65s (-0.2 m/s). The winner of his heat was Jason Richardson who went on to win the Championships after Dayron Robles, the 2008 Olympic Champion and World Record holder, was disqualified after the final.
Lawrence is coached in Bath by Malcolm Arnold, the former coach of Colin Jackson and John Akii-Bua.[16]
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Toby Clarke, 6th Baronet |
in line of succession to Baronetcy (of Dunham Lodge, Norfolk. cr.1831) |
heir apparent |