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Liz Yelling

Athletics

Marathon

	Date of Birth:	05/12/1974
	Lives:	Poole, Dorset
	Born:	Welwyn Garden City
	Country of Birth:	England
	Height:	174
	Weight:	55
	Club:	Bedford & County AC
	Coach:
	Occupation:	Professional Athlete

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Liz was Team GB's top finisher in the Athens 2004 Marathon where she finished in 25th place. In 2006 she claimed her first major championship medal with bronze in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

In her youth she came through the age groups in the same Bedford and County team as Paula Radcliffe. She won the English Schools’ 1500m title in 1993 and two years later was top Briton at the European Cross Country Championships with a typically aggressive performance.

In the years to come she often ran well across country but her track ambitions were sometimes held back by injuries. She finally enjoyed a good summer in 1998, having won the Reebok Cross Challenge series earlier that year.

After the 2000 World Cross Country Championships she made her track debut at 10,000m and improved to 33:07.9 at the AAAs. Her shorter distance PBs were also improved and she ended the year in good form with a big PB of 72:31 to win the Stroud Half-marathon and then another top 10 place in the European Cross where she helped Britain to team silver.

She was in superb form cross country in 2001 as she won the Trials and National, and then ran well at the Worlds. Her track form was again impressive and on the roads she improved her half-marathon to 72:26 when taking the UK title and further to 71:29 at the Worlds.

Anxious to rid herself of the regular colds she was picking up, which she put down to her job as a teacher, Yelling decided to become a full-time athlete at the end of 2001 and that winter she again helped Britain to team silver at the Europeans, won the trials and National once more and secured the Reebok Cross Challenge series before again producing the goods at the Worlds.

After that performance she smashed her PB with a 32:26.53 at the European 10,000m Challenge and then to below 32 minutes at the Commonwealth Games, where she finished fourth. Her 5000m PB also fell that year and she once more showed great ability at the half-marathon when running 71:42 for eighth at the Great North Run.

She suffered a cold towards the end of 2002 but helped Britain to team bronze at the European Cross and was then in the top 20 at the World Cross later that winter until an Achilles injury ruled out her track season. Consequently she decided to prepare for her marathon debut and everything went to plan in Berlin as she clocked 2:30:58 to secure the Olympic qualifying time.

After Athens she picked up another virus which forced her out of the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, buit returned to take bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Updated biography information is available on www.ukathletics.net

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Beijing 2008
Athletics
Marathon

Athens 2004
Athletics
Marathon

Personal Bests:

10k 31:58.39 30 Jul 2002 4 Manchester
800 2:09.72 6 Sep 2000 3 Watford
1500 4:15.01 14 Jul 2001 2 Birmingham
3k 8:57.3 mx 25 Jul 2001 1 Watford
3k 9:15.25 24 Jun 1998 1 Swindon
5k 15:45.08 15 Jun 2002 4 Manchester
5MR 26:09 5 Mar 2000 1 Ruislip
10kR 33:03 2003 Tilburg
10MR 54:31 2003 Portsmouth
HMar 71:29 7 Oct 2001 23 Bristol

Championship Record

European Championships 10,000 2002 20

Commonwealth Games 10,000 2002 4

World Cross Country 4km 2003 19
6km 1996 96
8km 1998 34, 1999 42, 2000 44, 2001 17, 2002 18

European Cross Country 1995 10, 1997 30, 1999 4, 2000 8, 2001 5, 2002 20, 2003 8

World Half-marathon 1998 58, 2001 23

World Student Games XC 1996 18, 1998 3

National titles half-marathon UK 2001
XC UK 1998/01, English 2001

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