Charlene Thomas
Encyclopedia
Charlene Thomas is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 middle distance runner who competes internationally for Great Britain.

A successful junior athlete nationally, in 2002 she won the 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

 at indoor BUSA championships and came second outdoors. As a senior, she began competing on the IAAF Golden League
IAAF Golden League
The IAAF Golden League was an annual series of track and field meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations...

 circuit in 2007, coming tenth in the mile run
Mile run
The mile run is a middle-distance foot race which is among the more popular events in track running.The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races...

 at the Memorial van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...

, where her time of 4:27.95 minutes was the fastest run by a British woman in twelve years. and taking second place over 1500 m at the DN Galan
DN Galan
-External links:**...

 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

. She placed second in the event at that year's National Championships.

Thomas was fifth over 1500 m at the Olympic Trials in 2008, but went on to be the surprise winner of the 1500 m at the 2009 National Championships ahead of the more favoured Stephanie Twell
Stephanie Twell
Stephanie April "Steph" Twell is a Scottish middle distance runner. She was the winner of the 1500 metres at the World Junior Championships in 2008, and is a three time winner of the European Cross Country Championships junior women's race as well as being part of four winning Great Britain...

 and Hannah England
Hannah England
Hannah England is a British middle-distance athlete who specialises in the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run.Born in Oxford, England, she attended the Cherwell School in Summertown, North Oxford. England joined Oxford City Athletic Club as an under 13, her first major success coming in the UK...

. This guaranteed her a place for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

, where she made it into the semi-finals of the women's 1500 metres
2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres
The women's 1500 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium between 18–23 August.-Medalists:-Records:-Qualification standards:-Schedule:-Heats:...

 in Berlin. However, she lost a running spike mid-race and did not manage to make the final.

She did not compete for Great Britain in 2010 and that September she decided to leave her job as a Design and Technology supply teacher to focus on running full-time. She returned to the international setup the following year to compete at the 2011 European Team Championships
2011 European Team Championships
The third SPAR European Team Championships took place on 18 and 19 June 2011. The Super League was won by the Russian team with the record 385 points.-Calendar:-Super League:*Place: Stockholm Olympic Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden...

, where she unexpectedly defeated Yekaterina Martynova
Yekaterina Martynova
Yekaterina Mikhaylovna Martynova is a Russian runner who specializes in the middle distance events.-Achievements:-References:...

 and Anna Mishchenko
Anna Mishchenko
Anna Valeriïvna Mishchenko , is a Ukrainian middle distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres.She won the 2006 Ukrainian national championships in the event. In 2008 she took sixth place in the European Athletics Indoor Cup in Moscow and represented Ukraine at the 2008 Summer Olympics...

 to take full points for the team. Her winning time of 4:06.85 minutes was the third fastest of her career.

Personal life

Charlene is the cousin of professional footballers Mark
Mark Redshaw
Mark Redshaw is an English professional footballer who plays for Dutch Eerste Divisie club FC Oss, as a striker.-Career:...

 and Jack Redshaw
Jack Redshaw
Jack Redshaw , is a footballer who plays as a forward for Altrincham.-Career:Redshaw started his career at Manchester City signing with the clubs academy at aged nine, He signed his first professional deal with the club aged 18...

.

External links

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