Zara Dampney
| Zara Dampney | |||||||
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 Zara Dampney playing for Team GB during the London 2012 Olympics | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||
| Born |
10 June 1986 Christchurch, Dorset | ||||||
| Hometown | Bath, Somerset | ||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||
| Beach volleyball information | |||||||
| Current teammate | |||||||
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| Previous teammates | |||||||
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Zara Dampney (born 10 June 1986) is a British beach volleyball player, and former indoor volleyball player. She has been chosen as one of the two players to take the home nation qualification spot at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Early life
Dampney was born in Christchurch on 10 June 1986,[1] and lived throughout her childhood in Dorset. She played indoor volleyball whilst a student at Parkstone Grammar School,[2][3] and after school went to the University of Sheffield where she studied for a Law degree.[2] She competed for the British adult team in indoor volleyball at the age of sixteen,[4] and was a member of Wessex Volleyball Club.[3]
Career
After completing her university degree, she made her début on the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball tour in 2009, and was part of the first British team to compete on the tour for a decade. The team finished in ninth position in that event, which remains Dampney's highest finish on the tour.[4]
Whilst on the tour, along with her partner Shauna Mullin, she sold advertising space on the back of her bikini bottoms, hosting a QR code for bookmaker Betfair. They are otherwise funded by the National Lottery.[5] They competed at the Olympic test event in London, and won all of their group games, but were defeated in the second knockout round by the Brazilian team who went on to win the tournament.[6] During the warm up to the Games, the pair played a demonstration match in Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament.[7]
Dampney and Mullin were awarded the host nation place for the beach volleyball at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where the events are due to take place on Horse Guards Parade. They will be the first British pair to compete in the sport at an Olympic Games.[8] As of the announcement that they are to compete in the Olympics, Dampney and Mullin were ranked 37th in the world.[9]
References
- ↑ "Zara Dampney". Team GB. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Zara Dampney". Tyler Sports Management. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wadley, Ian (3 July 2012). "London 2012: Wessex pride as Dampney is latest of club's former stars to gain Games status". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Zara Dampney". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ "Boosting the bottom line: Beach volleyball stars to rent out advertising space on their bikini-clad behinds". Daily Mail. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ "Zara Dampney profile". BBC Sport. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ "Olympics present the challenge of a lifetime for these drivers". The Sun. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ "London 2012: Zara Dampney and Shauna Mullin selected for Games". BBC Sport. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ Ross, Sam (2 July 2012). "Zara Dampney and Shauna Mullin land Team GB beach volleyball places". Metro. Retrieved 3 July 2012.