Martyn Rooney

Martyn Rooney

Rooney finishing third in the Men's 400 metres final at the 2010 European Championships in Athletics
Personal information
Nationality	England
Born	(1987-04-03) 3 April 1987 Croydon, South London
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	81 kg (179 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	400 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400m: 44.60 s (Beijing 2008)
Medal record Men's athletics Competitor for  Great Britain World Championships Silver 2009 Berlin 4×400 m relay European Championships Silver 2010 Barcelona 4x400 m relay Bronze 2010 Barcelona 400 metres IAAF World Junior Championships Bronze 2006 Beijing 400m Bronze 2006 Beijing 4×400 m relay

Martyn Joseph Rooney (born 3 April 1987) is an English sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres event. He reached the 400 m final at the 2008 Summer Olympics and also finished fourth in the 4×400 metres relay. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics he won a silver medal with the Great Britain relay team. His personal best time is 44.60 seconds.

Career

Born and raised in Thornton Heath, London, the second of four children born to Marie (née Martyn) and Liam Rooney Sr., Irish immigrants from Sligo and Westmeath, respectively, Rooney started running for Croydon Harriers just before starting his secondary school, The John Fisher School. He attended St James the Great Primary School, Thornton Heath. As a result he became an avid Crystal Palace F.C. fan.^[1] Initially training and competing at the middle distances; 800 metres and 1500 metres and doing cross country throughout the winter, Rooney's talent for the one lap sprint was discovered by coincidence when he stood in to make up points at a London fixture.

Rooney was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2005 European Juniors, held in Lithuania in July of that year. He achieved the Silver Medal in the individuals and gold with the relay team and on his return home was then asked to make up the senior’s 4x400 m men's relay team at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, held that year in Helsinki, Finland. Martyn was originally running only in the heat, but impressing the GB coaches with a time of 44.9 seconds, he was selected to also run in the final. Despite completing his leg in 44.8 seconds, Martyn and team mates Timothy Benjamin, Robert Tobin and Malachi Davis came in fourth, with a sub three minute time. Rooney represented England in the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia. ^{[citation needed]}

Despite impressing everyone throughout the heats, he came fifth in the final with a time of 45.51 seconds and set a new British Junior Record, previous held by Roger Black for 20 years. The English 4x400 m Men's relay team came in fourth at the Games. At the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing he finished third in 45.87 seconds. The British relay team too finished third, earning him a second bronze medal of the Championships. During 2008 Martyn had a successful season where he went comfortably under the 45 second barrier with a 44.83 at the London Grand Prix. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Rooney set a new personal best in the Semi Final and finished sixth in the final. He also anchored GB to 4th in the relay with a 43.7 split, second fastest ever by a Briton. ^{[citation needed]}

At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, he reached the semi-finals of the 400 m, but finished seventh and did not compete in the final. Running with Conrad Williams, Michael Bingham and Robert Tobin, Rooney had greater success in the men's relay event, winning the silver medal behind the winning team from the United States. He started the 2010 outdoor season with a European leading time of 44.99 seconds to win at the Atletica Geneve Meeting.^[2] He went on to win bronze in the 400 metres at the European Championships in Barcelona. He won a silver medal in the relay.

Rooney had a disappointing 2011, knocked out in the semi-finals of the 400 metres at the World Championships in Daegu and finishing eighth as part of the British team in the 4x400m relay. In 2012 Martyn started well, running 44.92s in April at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, his fastest time since 2008.^[3] Rooney was unable to sustain that form going into his home Olympics, and he was eliminated in the semi-final of the 400 metres, running 45.31s. In the 4 × 400 metres relay final Martyn received the baton in sixth place and ran a blistering 44.1 second anchor leg, but was just unable to overtake Deon Lendore of Trinidad and so finished fourth.^[4]

Personal life

Rooney is studying at Loughborough University and training with Coach Nick Dakin. In Loughborough he is assisted by Rone Thompson (EIS Physiotherapist) and Tommy Yule (EIS Strength and Conditioning Coach). He is first cousin of Irish footballer Ciarán Martyn.

Personal bests

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martyn Rooney.

• Martyn Rooney profile at IAAF
• Olympics profile
• Read Martyn Rooney's Rising Star profile on spikesmag.com