Jemma Simpson

Infobox Athlete


playername= Jemma Simpson
country= Great Britain
club= Newquay & Par
datebirth= birth date and age|1984|2|10
placebirth= Plymouth
height= height|m=1.78
turnedpro= 2005
retired=
pb= 800 m 1:59.17 min (2008)
1500 m 4:10.08 min (2007)
olympics= 2008
worlds= 2007
highestranking= 24 (Aug 2007)
updated= August 7 2007

Jemma Louise Simpson (born 10 February 1984 in Plymouth) is a Cornish-British athlete who competes in the 800 metres. She is the former British champion over this distance, winning the 2007 British Championships, losing the 2008 Championships to Marilyn Okoro.

As a junior athlete, she finished eighth at the 2001 World Youth Championships, fourth at the 2002 World Junior Championships and won a bronze medal at the 2003 European Junior Championships. She also won the gold medal for England at the 2002 Commonwealth Youth Games. [ [http://www.melbourne2006.com.au/Participants/Participants?ID=104192 Melbourne 2006: Biography] ]

In 2005 Simpson won a silver at the European Cup, despite only competing as a replacement for the injured Kelly Holmes. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/4510574.stm Simpson receives Melbourne call] ]

Simpson's highlights of the 2006 season were taking sixth place in the 800 metres final at the 2006 Commonwealth Games [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/results/4790654.stm Athletics: 800m results] ] and finishing second at the British Championships, behind Rebecca Lyne. She finished 2006, being the fifth fastest British athlete over 800 metres, behind Rebecca Lyne, Susan Scott, Amanda Pritchard and Marilyn Okoro. [ [http://www.powerof10.info/default.asp?page=782142342E3F703B7E2F7031&which=44605C6470649E4B5C298823C82A40225C60402446245C4448168018CE2A 2006 - UK - WOMEN - ALL AGES - 800 METRES] ]

After an injury plagued winter, missing many indoor championships and training sessions, Simpson made her major comeback at the British Championships, taking the gold medal, and becoming Britain's number 1 over 800 m. She was then selected for the British team for the 800 m at the 2007 World Championships. At the championships, she qualified into the semi-finals, coming second in her heat with a time of 2:00.47 minutes. In the semi-final she finished sixth with a time of 2:00.48 minutes and failed to qualify for the final. Like Simpson fellow British athletes, Marilyn Okoro and Jennifer Meadows both failed at the semi-final stage having finished second in their respective heats. She finished eighth at the 2007 World Athletics Final.

References

External links

* [http://www.powerof10.info/default.asp?page=543E4E341E3D74387E2642342E3F743B5E2F7236&athlete=D062DE69D06AD46A Profile at Powerof10 (UK Athletics)]