Tanni Grey-Thompson
Encyclopedia
Carys Davina "Tanni" Grey-Thompson, Baroness Grey-Thompson, DBE
(born 26 July 1969 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh athlete and TV presenter.
Grey-Thompson was born with spina bifida
and uses a wheelchair. She is considered to be one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK. She graduated from Loughborough University
in 1991 with a BA(Hons)
in Politics and Social Administration.
She was christened Carys Davina Grey, but her sister referred to her as "tiny" when she first saw her, pronouncing it "tanni", and the name stuck.
Her international career began in 1988 in Seoul
, where she won a bronze medal in the 400m. As a young athlete she also competed in wheelchair basketball
. Her fifth and last Paralympic Games were in Athens (2004) where she won two gold medals in wheelchair racing in the 100m and 400m. In total in her Paralympic career she won 16 medals (11 gold, four silver and a bronze) and also 13 World Championship medals (six gold, five silver and two bronze).
On 28 February 2007 she announced her pending retirement, with her last appearance for Great Britain at May's Paralympic World Cup in Manchester
.
Over her career she won a total of 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds, held over 30 world record
s, and won the London Marathon
six times between 1992 and 2002.
and S4C
, as well as BBC1.
She is currently a non-executive director for UK Athletics (2007), sits on the board of the London Marathon (2007) and the Board of Transport for London (2008). She is Chair of the Women's Sports and Fitness Foundation Commission on the Future of Women's Sport.
Grey-Thompson is patron of numerous charities including Sportsleaders UK, and is a trustee of V, the Charity that helps young people become volunteers. She is vice-chairman of the Laureus World Sport Academy, and a trustee of the Sport for Good Foundation. She is also a Council Member for the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, and an International Inspiration Ambassador.
for services to sport and then in 2005 was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
She has received numerous honorary degrees including honorary doctorates from University of Bath
, Leeds Metropolitan University
, Loughborough University
, Southampton University, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Wales. She is currently Pro-Chancellor of Staffordshire University
.
Grey-Thompson was named the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
three times; in 1992, 2000 and 2004. In 2000, she came third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, behind Steve Redgrave
and Denise Lewis
. That year she also received the Helen Rollason Award for her performance at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
.
In August 2009, Grey-Thompson was made a member of the Gorsedd
at the 2009 National Eisteddfod in Bala, Gwynedd
.
There is a house, Thompson, named after her at Willenhall School Sports College
in the West Midlands, where each of the eight houses are named after influential sports stars and local heroes.
On 23 March 2010, Grey-Thompson was created a life peer
on the recommendation of the House of Lords Appointments Commission
. Despite previously speaking of a desire for a title with a Welsh connection, her title was conferred as Baroness Grey-Thompson, of Eaglescliffe
in the County of Durham on 23 March 2010. She was introduced in the House of Lords
on 29 March, swearing the oath of alliegence in both English
and Welsh
. She sits as a crossbencher.
Tanni received a Lifetime achievement award and an honorary doctorate from the University of East London in May 2011. At the universities annual Sports Award evening held at West Ham United's, Upton Park.
and is married to Dr Ian Thompson. They have one daughter, Carys.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 26 July 1969 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh athlete and TV presenter.
Grey-Thompson was born with spina bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
and uses a wheelchair. She is considered to be one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK. She graduated from Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
in 1991 with a BA(Hons)
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Politics and Social Administration.
She was christened Carys Davina Grey, but her sister referred to her as "tiny" when she first saw her, pronouncing it "tanni", and the name stuck.
Career
Tanni Grey-Thompson's Paralympic career started in the 100m at the Junior National Games for Wales in 1984.Her international career began in 1988 in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, where she won a bronze medal in the 400m. As a young athlete she also competed in wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
. Her fifth and last Paralympic Games were in Athens (2004) where she won two gold medals in wheelchair racing in the 100m and 400m. In total in her Paralympic career she won 16 medals (11 gold, four silver and a bronze) and also 13 World Championship medals (six gold, five silver and two bronze).
On 28 February 2007 she announced her pending retirement, with her last appearance for Great Britain at May's Paralympic World Cup in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Over her career she won a total of 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds, held over 30 world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
s, and won the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
six times between 1992 and 2002.
Post-retirement
In preparation for her retirement from the track, she expanded her television presenting career on BBC WalesBBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
and S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, as well as BBC1.
She is currently a non-executive director for UK Athletics (2007), sits on the board of the London Marathon (2007) and the Board of Transport for London (2008). She is Chair of the Women's Sports and Fitness Foundation Commission on the Future of Women's Sport.
Grey-Thompson is patron of numerous charities including Sportsleaders UK, and is a trustee of V, the Charity that helps young people become volunteers. She is vice-chairman of the Laureus World Sport Academy, and a trustee of the Sport for Good Foundation. She is also a Council Member for the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, and an International Inspiration Ambassador.
Honours
In 1993 she received an MBE for services to sport, in 2000 the OBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to sport and then in 2005 was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
She has received numerous honorary degrees including honorary doctorates from University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
, Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
, Southampton University, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Wales. She is currently Pro-Chancellor of Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
.
Grey-Thompson was named the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year is a televised sporting competition, broadcast on BBC Two every year; and the most prestigious annual sport award in Wales. It was first awarded in 1954, and is currently organised by BBC Cymru Wales...
three times; in 1992, 2000 and 2004. In 2000, she came third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, behind Steve Redgrave
Steve Redgrave
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave CBE is an English rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold medals...
and Denise Lewis
Denise Lewis
Denise Lewis OBE is a retired British athlete who specialised in the heptathlon. She won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.-2000 Olympics:...
. That year she also received the Helen Rollason Award for her performance at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
.
In August 2009, Grey-Thompson was made a member of the Gorsedd
Gorsedd
A gorsedd plural gorseddau, is a community or coming together of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is occasionally spelled gorsedh , or goursez in Brittany....
at the 2009 National Eisteddfod in Bala, Gwynedd
Bala, Gwynedd
Bala is a market town and community in Gwynedd, Wales, and formerly an urban district of the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies at the north end of Bala Lake , 17 miles north-east of Dolgellau, with a population of 1,980...
.
There is a house, Thompson, named after her at Willenhall School Sports College
Willenhall School Sports College
Willenhall School Sports College, is a state secondary school on the Lodge Farm estate in Willenhall. It is the biggest school in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall with over 1600 pupils and 150 staff...
in the West Midlands, where each of the eight houses are named after influential sports stars and local heroes.
On 23 March 2010, Grey-Thompson was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
on the recommendation of the House of Lords Appointments Commission
House of Lords Appointments Commission
The House of Lords Appointments Commission is a non-partisan, non-statutory, independent body in the United Kingdom. It has three roles:*to recommend people for appointment as non-party-political life peers;...
. Despite previously speaking of a desire for a title with a Welsh connection, her title was conferred as Baroness Grey-Thompson, of Eaglescliffe
Eaglescliffe
Eaglescliffe is a small town in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. It is on the north bank of the River Tees and for ceremonial purposes is in County Durham. The bridge at Eaglescliffe on the border with Yarm marked the last crossing point of tidal section of the River Tees...
in the County of Durham on 23 March 2010. She was introduced in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
on 29 March, swearing the oath of alliegence in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. She sits as a crossbencher.
Tanni received a Lifetime achievement award and an honorary doctorate from the University of East London in May 2011. At the universities annual Sports Award evening held at West Ham United's, Upton Park.
Personal life
Grey-Thompson lives in EaglescliffeEaglescliffe
Eaglescliffe is a small town in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. It is on the north bank of the River Tees and for ceremonial purposes is in County Durham. The bridge at Eaglescliffe on the border with Yarm marked the last crossing point of tidal section of the River Tees...
and is married to Dr Ian Thompson. They have one daughter, Carys.
Paralympic World Cup medals
| Year | Event | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 m | 1st |
| 2005 | 400 m | 1st |
| 2007 | 200 m | 2nd |