Eilidh Child

Eilidh Child

Eilidh Child competing at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1987-02-20) 20 February 1987 Perth, Scotland
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Weight	59 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Country	Great Britain  Scotland
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	400m Hurdles, 4 × 400m Relay
Medal record Women's athletics Competitor for  Great Britain World Championships Bronze 2013 Moscow 4x400 m relay World Indoor Championships Bronze 2014 Sopot 4x400 m relay European Championships Gold 2014 Zürich 400 m hurdles Bronze 2014 Zürich 4 x 400 m relay European Indoor Championships Gold 2013 Gothenburg 4x400m relay Silver 2013 Gothenburg 400 m European U23 Championships Silver 2009 Kaunas 400 m hurdles Competitor for  Scotland Commonwealth Games Silver 2010 Delhi 400 m hurdles Silver 2014 Glasgow 400 m hurdles Competitor for  Europe Continental Cup Silver 2014 Marrakesh 400 m hurdles

Eilidh Child (pronounced AY-lee; born 20 February 1987)^[1] is a Scottish track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and holds the Scottish record for the 400 metres hurdles with 54.22 sec (2013).^[2]

Representing Scotland, she has twice won a Commonwealth Games silver medal in the 400 metres hurdles, in Dehli 2010, and Glasgow 2014, the former being her first senior medal at a major championships. Representing Great Britain, she won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2013 European Indoor Championships, breaking the Scottish indoor record with 51.45 sec, before adding a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay.^[3] She went on to win bronze medals at the 2013 World Championships and 2014 World Indoor Championships in the 4 x 400 metres relay. Child won her first major title and gold medal in her individual event, the 400 metres hurdles at the 2014 European Championships, before adding another bronze in the 4 x 400 metres relay again.

Career

Child was born in Perth, Scotland. As a youngster, she twice won the U13 Scottish Schools butterfly swimming title. One of her sisters is a writer, the other used to compete at triple jump and her brother is a footballer.

In 2009, Child significantly improved her personal best for the 400m hurdles from 56.84 to 55.32, to finish second at the European U23 Championships in Kaunus, Lithuania, behind fellow British athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton. She also qualified for that years World Championships in Berlin, reaching the semi-finals. In 2010, she further improved to 55.16 at the London Diamond League in August. Then in October, she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 55.62.

In 2012, Child ran below 55 seconds for the 400 metres hurdles for the first time, with 54.96 on 2 June in Geneva. Two weeks later, she earned Olympic selection, with 55.53 for second behind Shakes-Drayton at the Olympic trials. At the London Olympics, she reached the semi-finals, running 56.02.

Child won two medals at the 2013 European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, with silver in the 400 metres behind teammate Perri Shakes-Drayton, breaking the Scottish indoor record in the process, with 51.45. She then added a gold in the 4x400 m relay. The British quartet of Christine Ohurougu, Shana Cox, Child and Shakes-Drayton also improved the UK indoor record to 3:27.56. Outdoors, she broke the Scottish 400 metres hurdles record with 54.22 in Birmingham in June. Then in August, at the World Championships in Moscow, she ran 54.32 in her semi-final to reach the final. In the final she was fifth in 54.86. Alongside Cox, Margaret Adeoye and Ohurougu, she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay.

Child captained the first ever Scotland team at the Glasgow International match in January 2014.^[4][5] As captain of the GB & NI team at the 2014 World Indoor Championships in Sopot,^[6] she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. 2014 also saw Child secure her first 400 metres hurdles British title,^[7] and take victory at the first ever IAAF Diamond League meeting in Scotland,^[8] the Glasgow Grand Prix.^[9] in a European leading time of 54.39. Child also selected to captain the Scottish athletics team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games,^[10] won a silver medal in the 400 m hurdles behind Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica. Two weeks later, at the European Championships in Zürich, she won a gold medal in the 400 m hurdles, running 54.48. She became the first British woman to win the European 400 m hurdles title for 20 years, the previous British winner being Sally Gunnell in 1994.

Personal life

Child has a degree in Physical Education from Edinburgh University and was formerly a full-time PE teacher at Perth Grammar School until she decided to focus further on her training, allowing her to relocate to Bath. In her spare time she likes swimming and is a supporter of Hearts FC where she has a season ticket. Child wears a maroon and white wristband during all her races to symbolise her support for the Jambos.

Achievements

• UK Indoor 4 x 400 m relay record – 3:27.56 (2013) (with Christine Ohurougu, Shana Cox and Perri Shakes-Drayton).
• Scottish 400 m hurdles record – 54.22 (2013)^[11]
• Scottish 4 x 400 m relay record - 3:30.91 (2010)^[11] (Gemma Nicol, Kathryn Evans and Lee McConnell)
• Scottish Indoor 400 m record – 51.45 (2013)^[12]
• Scottish Indoor 4 x 400 m relay record - 3:35.27 (2014)^[12] (with Diane Ramsay, Zoey Clark and Gemma Nicol)

Major Championships and International Record[13][14]
Representing  Great Britain
Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2007	European U23 Championships	Debrecen, Hungary	5th	400 m hurdles	57.11
2009	European Team Championships	Leiria, Portugal	4th	400 m hurdles	55.48[15]
			3rd	4 x 400 m relay	3:29.29
	European U23 Championships	Kaunas, Lithuania	2nd	400 m hurdles	55.32
	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	semi-final	400 m hurdles	56.21
2010	European Team Championships	Bergen, Norway	2nd	400 m hurdles	56.48
	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	8th	400 m hurdles	55.51
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	semi-final	400 m hurdles	55.89
2012	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	4th	4 x 400 m relay	3.26.20
	Olympic Games	London, England	semi-final	400 m hurdles	56.03
			5th1	4 x 400 m relay	3:24.76 SB
2013	European Indoor Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	2nd	400 m	51.45 NR
			1st	4 x 400 m relay	3:27.56 NR CR WL
	Penn Relays	Philadelphia, USA	2nd	4 x 400 m relay	3.22.68 SB[16]
	European Team Championships	Gateshead, Great Britain	1st	400 m hurdles	54.42 PB EL
			1st	4 x 400 m relay	3.28.60
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	5th	400 m hurdles	54.86
			3rd	4 x 400 m relay	3:22:61 SB
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	3rd	4 x 400 m relay	3:27.90
	World Relays	Nassau, Bahamas	7th	4 x 400 m relay	3.28.03
	European Team Championships	Braunschweig, Germany	2nd	400 m hurdles	55.36
	European Championships	Zürich, Switzerland	1st	400 m hurdles	54.48
			3rd	4 x 400 m relay	3:24.34 SB
	Diamond League (overall season)	Various venues	2nd	400 m hurdles	54.762[17]
Representing  Scotland
2010	Commonwealth Games	Delhi, India	2nd	400 m hurdles	55.62
			5th	4 x 400 m relay	3:30.91 NR
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, Scotland	2nd	400 m hurdles	55.02
Representing  Europe
2014	Continental Cup	Marrakech, Morocco	2nd	400 m hurdles	54.42

^{1 Child ran in the heats but not the final.
2 54.76 was Child's fastest 400 m hurdles time (not including non-scoring diamond league events) of her Diamond League season .}

Awards

References

External links

• Eilidh Child profile at IAAF

Preceded by  Russia Kseniya Zadorina Kseniya Vdovina Yelena Migunova Olesya Forsheva	European Indoor Champion in 4 x 400 m relay representing  Great Britain with Christine Ohurougu Shana Cox Perri Shakes-Drayton 2013	Succeeded by current