Joanne Cuddihy

Joanne Cuddihy
Personal information
Nationality Irish
Born 11 May 1984[1]
Dublin, Ireland[1]
Residence Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland[2]
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight 65 kg (143 lb; 10.2 st)[1]
Sport
Sport Running
Event(s) 400 metres
College team University College Dublin Athletics Club[3]
Club Kilkenny City Harriers[4]
Coached by Paddy Fay[3]
Retired 2012
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 50.73 seconds[5]

Joanne Cuddihy (born 11 May 1984)[3] is an Irish sprint athlete, competing for the Kilkenny City Harriers.[4] She is the Irish 400 metres outdoor women's record holder with a time of 50.73 seconds.[5]

Career

Junior competition

At the 2001 IAAF/Westel World Youth Championships, Cuddihy qualified for the final of the 400 metres by finishing second in her heat with a time of 54.16, a season's best.[6] On 14 July, Cuddihy finished fifth in the final at the World Youth Championships. The following year at the IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, Cuddihy finished sixth in the final.[1] On 12 June 2003, at a European GP meeting in Riga, Latvia, Cuddihy broke the junior Irish national record in the 400 metres with a time of 53.21 seconds.[7] At the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, California in mid-June 2003, Cuddihy came second with a time of 53.85 seconds.[8] The following month, she won a silver medal at the 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships in the 400 metres.[1]

Senior competition

Following her silver medal at the European Athletics Junior Championships in 2003, Cuddihy moved into senior competition. At the 2003 World Championships in Athletics held in Paris, France, Cuddihy qualified for the final of the 400 metres with a time of 53.68 seconds.[9] She participated in the 2004 Irish National Indoor Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she won the 400 metres in a new all-comers record of 53.50 seconds over Moushaumi Robinson.[10] As a result of her win, she was automatically selected to be part of the Irish team for the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships held the following month.[11] At the championships, Cuddihy finished sixth in her heat of the 400 metres, failing to progress further.[12] She was also part of the 4 x 400 metres relay time with Michelle Carey, Karen Shinkins, and Ciara Sheehy.[13] In July 2004, Cuddihy came second in the Irish National Championships behind Shinkins.[14] In July 2005, Cuddihy finished second at the Irish National Championships behind Shinkins.[15] At the 2005 World University Games, Cuddihy made it to the semi-finals of the 400 metres, but failed to progress further after finishing fifth.[16]

In the eighteen months prior to July 2006, Cuddihy suffered from glandular fever and underwent operations on the cartilage on both knees. At the 2006 National Track and Field Championships, Cuddihy set a personal best time of 23.33 seconds to win the 200 metres title, and set a championship record of 51.28 to win the 400 metres. Her championship record was the fastest time run by an Irishwoman in Ireland.[17] The following month, at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Cuddihy qualified for the semi-finals of the 400 metres by running a time of 51.41 seconds to finish second in her heat.[18] She then qualified for the final by finishing third in her semi-final, and setting a personal best time of 51.09 seconds.[19] She finished eight in the final with a time of 51.46 seconds.[20] Cuddihy was also a member of the Irish 4 x 100 metres relay team at the European Championships, alongside Derval O'Rourke, Ailis McSweeney, and Anna Boyle. The quartet failed to make the final, but set a new Irish record for the event of 44.38 seconds.[21][22]

In 2007, Cuddihy decided to take a break from her medical studies and focus exclusively on her athletics for a full year. In April 2007 Cuddihy moved to Los Angeles in the United States for specialised coaching with Dan Pfaff.[23] On 9 June, Cuddihy won a 200 metres race in Vancouver, Canada with a time of 23.80 seconds.[24] In June, Cuddihy appeared at European Cup First League 'A' match, where she was part of the Irish 4 x 100 metres relay quartet that finished third.[25] At the 2007 British Grand Prix in July, Cuddihy came third in the 400 metres behind Nicola Sanders and Monique Henaghan.[26] That same month she won both the 200 and 400 metres events at the Irish National Senior Track and Field Championships, making it the second successive year she had won both.[27] Cuddihy competed at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka, Japan that August. She ran a season's best in the heats to qualify for the semi-finals with a third-place finish.[28] In the semi-finals she recorded a personal best time of 50.73 seconds, setting a new Irish national record and making her the first Irish woman to have run under 51 seconds at 400 metres. Despite this, she did not qualify for the final.[5] Her new Irish record also qualified her to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. In early and mid-2008 she suffered from knee problems, however, jeopardising her ability to compete at the Olympics.[29] Despite the injury, she competed in the heats of the 400 metres but was unable to qualify for the semi-finals.[30] She stated that competing in the Olympics "would have been a dream come true if [she] wasn't injured".[31]

In early July 2009, she participated in the 200 metres at the World University Games, successfully reaching the semi-finals.[32] She finished her semi-final with a time of 24.53 seconds, leaving her in fifth place, which meant she did not reach the final.[33] Cuddihy did not participate in the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, as she had taken time out to focus on her academic studies.[34] Following a hiatus, Cuddihy returned to athletics at the Melbourne Track Classic in March 2010, where she placed third in the 400 metres with a time of 52.95 seconds.[35] In early July 2010, Cuddihy won the Irish National Championships in the 400 metres with a time of 52.76 seconds.[36] At the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Cuddihy made the semi-finals, but was unable to make the final after finishing fourth in her semi-final and missing a fastest loser position.[37] She was also a member of the Irish 4 x 400 metres relay team alonsgide Marian Andrews, Brona Furlong, and Michelle Carey which failed to progress from the heats after finishing sixth.[38]

In 2011, Cuddihy moved to Australia for full-time training. At the European Team Championships in mid-June Cuddihy was part of the Irish team that finished tenth overall, retaining their position in the 1st League.[39] On 25 June, Cuddihy won the 400 metres race during a meet in Nivelles, Belgium, with a time of 53.28 seconds.[40] In early August, Cuddihy once again won the 400 metres at the Irish national championships, finishing with a time of 52.15 metres.[41] Cuddihy competed at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea in the 400 metres after securing the B-standard qualifying time.[42] She came third in her heat, qualifying for the semi-finals with a time of 51.82 seconds.[4] During the semi-finals however, Cuddihy was disqualified after a false start.[4][43] She returned to compete in the 4 x 400 metres relay. She, along with Marian Andrews-Heffernan, Claire Bergin, and Michelle Carey set a new Irish record of 3:27.48, but failed to qualify for the final after finishing fourth in their heat.[44]

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Cuddihy qualified for the semi-finals of the 400m as a fastest loser with a time of 52.09.[45] She failed to make the final after finishing fifth in her semi-final.[46] Cuddihy retired from professional athletics following the Olympics.[2]

Personal life

Cuddihy's father, Bill, is a Kilkenny hurling doctor.[7] Her younger sister, Catriona is also a 400 metre runner.[17]

Cuddihy studied medicine at University College Dublin, and is a qualified doctor.[3][2][4] Since retiring from athletics, Cuddihy has been working at Temple Street Children's Hospital.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Cuddihy Joanne". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Power, Ed (30 January 2014). "High-achiever settling back into the real world". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Joanne Cuddihy". Athletics Ireland. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Foley, Cliona (29 August 2011). "Cuddihy 'embarrassed' after jumping the gun". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Cuddihy breaks record but misses final". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  6. ↑ O'Riordan, Ian (14 July 2001). "Show of strength by Carroll". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Wright, Rob (13 June 2003). "Cuddihy breaks Irish 400m record". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  8. ↑ "Cragg top of the 5000m class". Irish Independent. 16 June 2003. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  9. ↑ "Turnbull misses out on final". BBC. 25 August 2003. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "Brizzel bristles with confidence after beating Campbell". International Association of Athletics Federations. 15 February 2004. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "Preliminary team for World Indoors announced". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 17 February 2004. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  12. ↑ "Brizzel pulls out of semis". BBC. 6 March 2004. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  13. ↑ "O'Dwyer makes breakthrough". BBC. 26 February 2004. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  14. ↑ "Double blow for O'Sullivan". BBC. 25 July 2004. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  15. ↑ "Byrne stumbles to 1500 metres title". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 24 July 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  16. ↑ "Boyle and McSweeney through to 100m final". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 16 August 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Athletics: Rising star Cuddihy doubles up in style at Nationals". Irish Independent. 24 July 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  18. ↑ "Boyle out of women's 100 metres". BBC. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  19. ↑ "Reale & Cuddihy impress at European Championships". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 9 August 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  20. ↑ "Cuddihy trails in last in Gothenburg". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  21. ↑ Martin, David (12 August 2006). "O'Rourke Helps Produce Another Record". Sporting Life. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  22. ↑ "Ireland progress to 4x400m final". BBC. 12 August 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  23. ↑ Ryan, Seán (4 February 2007). "Joanne Cuddihy: Case Study". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  24. ↑ "New Irish Record". Athletics Ireland. 9 June 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  25. ↑ Martin, Adam (23 June 2007). "Sayers Thrilled By GB Efforts". Sporting Life. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  26. ↑ Martin, David (16 July 2007). "Devonish Eyes Osaka Double". Sporting Life. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  27. ↑ "Campbell secures historic double". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 22 July 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  28. ↑ "Cuddihy breezes into 400 metres semi-finals". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 26 August 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  29. ↑ Foley, Cliona (18 July 2008). "Cuddihy's Olympic hopes high despite setback". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  30. ↑ "No joy for Heffernan and Cuddihy". The Irish Times. 16 August 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  31. ↑ McDonagh, Patricia (2 August 2008). "Let the Games begin: Olympic hopefuls depart for Beijing". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  32. ↑ "Cuddihy into Belgrade semi-final". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  33. ↑ "Murphy Breaks Record On Way To Final". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  34. ↑ "14-strong Irish squad announced for Berlin". The Belfast Telegraph. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  35. ↑ "Promising performance by Joanne Cuddihy". Athletics Ireland. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  36. ↑ "Rose-Anne Galligan edges out Ciara Mageean at Santry". BBC. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  37. ↑ "Gillick impresses on his way to final". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  38. ↑ "Irish relay teams fail to advance". The Irish Times. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  39. ↑ "Ireland maintain place in 1st League". BreakingNews.ie. 19 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  40. ↑ "Doubles for Proper and Russell in Belgium". Athletics Ireland. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  41. ↑ "Mageean Bounces Back to Win 1500m after 800m Silver". Athletics Ireland. 7 August 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  42. ↑ O'Riordan, Ian (9 August 2011). "Ireland add dash of youthful talent to experience for Daegu". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  43. ↑ "Sunday, 28 August 2011; IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Daegu". BBC. Retrieved 14 December 2011. DQ Joanne Cuddihy (Irl)
  44. ↑ Foley, Ciara (3 September 2011). "O'Rourke in the driving seat after plum draw". Irish Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  45. ↑ Foley, Cliona (2 December 2012). "Joanne Cuddihy qualifies for 400M semi finals as fastest loser". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  46. ↑ "Joanne Cuddihy with intelligent run in semi-final last night". Irish Independent. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2014.

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