Donna Fraser
 Donna Fraser competing in a UK Women's League match at Birmingham | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United Kingdom
| ||
| Women's athletics | ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2005 Helsinki | 4x400 m relay |
| | 2007 Osaka | 4x400 m relay |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
| | 1998 Kuala Lumpur | 400 m |
| | 1998 Kuala Lumpur | 4x100 m relay |
| European Championships | ||
| | 1998 Budapest | 4x400 m relay |
| European Indoor Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2009 Torino | 4x400 m relay |
| | 2005 Madrid | 4x400 m relay |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| | 1990 Plovdiv | 4x100 m relay |
| European Junior Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1991 Thessaloniki | 400 m |
| | 1991 Thessaloniki | 4x100 m relay |
Donna Karen Fraser (born 7 November 1972) in Thornton Heath, Croydon is a former English athlete, who mainly competed in the 200 and 400 m.
Career
An exceptional junior, Fraser won six English Schools 200 m titles (as well as a silver medal for the 4 x 100 m at the 1990 World Junior Championships[1][2]) before turning to the 400 m in 1991 and becoming European Junior Champion at the distance the same year (also gaining a silver medal for the 4 x 100 m).[1][2] However, she didn't improve until 1996, when she began to concentrate on the 400 m seriously and qualified for British teams in the major outdoor championships between 1996 and 1999. However, it was at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 that she finally showed the potential she had had as a junior, when she clipped almost a second off her PB to finish 4th with a personal best time of 49.79 seconds, thanks in no small part to her training alongside Olympic Champion Cathy Freeman for that season.
A finalist in 1998 at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games (where she took a bronze medal), she has also played an integral part of Britain's 4 x 400 relay team, taking medals at the World Championships in 2005, European Championships and Commonwealth Games. She also won the BBC London Athlete of the Year Award for 2005.[3] But her career after 2000 stalled due to a catalogue of injuries (including a torn achilles tendon[1][2]).
At the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, Fraser went as part of the 4 x 400 m relay squad. Despite not running in the final, she received a bronze medal, as she competed in the heats on the 2nd leg.
In September 2009, she announced that she was going to leave athletics to return to working full time at EDF Energy. Her final major race was the 400 m at the British Grand Prix at Gateshead, where she finished 7th with a time of 54.11 seconds.[1][2] However she has continued to race for the Croydon Harriers, an athletics club based at the Croydon Sports Arena.[1][2][4]
Major achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the United Kingdom and  England | |||||
| 1990 | World Junior Championships | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | 13th (sf) | 200m | 24.19 (wind: +0.5m/s) |
| 2nd | 4×100m relay | 44.16 | |||
| 1991 | European Junior Championships | Thessaloniki, Greece | 1st | 400 metres | 53.54 |
| 2nd | 4x100 metres | 44.57 | |||
| 1998 | Commonwealth Games | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 3rd | 400 metres | 51.01 |
| 3rd | 4x100 metres | 3:29.28 | |||
| European Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 3rd | 4x400m relay | 3:25.66 | |
| 2000 | Olympics | Sydney, Australia | 4th | 400 m | 49.79 |
| 2005 | European Indoor Championships | Madrid, Spain | 3rd | 4x400m relay | 3:29.81 |
| World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 3rd | 4x400m relay | 3:24.44 | |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 3rd[5] | 4x400m relay | 3:25.45 |
| 2009 | European Indoor Championships | Turin, Italy | 2nd | 4x400m relay | 3:30.42 |
| Preceded by Katharine Merry |
British Champion in 400m 2000 |
Succeeded by Lesley Owusu |
| Preceded by Christine Ohuruogu |
British Champion in 400m 2005 |
Succeeded by Nicola Sanders |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Moody, Fraser (2 September 2009). "Farewell to fab Fraser". The Croydon Guardian (Printed edition). Newsquest Media Group. p. 93.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Moody, Graham (2 September 2009). "Croydon Harrier Fraser looks back on career". Croydon Guardian. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ↑ Donna Fraser - BBC LONDON Athlete of the Year 2005 BBC, accessed 7 November 2007
- ↑ http://www.croydonharriers.com/News/305/Fraser-returns-to-lift-senior-Harriers.htm : Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ Competed only in the heat.
External links
- Donna Fraser profile at IAAF
- Donna Fraser, Olympics UK