Full Name: |
Benjamin
Challenger
|
Born: |
7
March 1978, (Loughborough) |
Height: |
1.86m |
Event: |
High
Jump |
Club: |
Belgrave
Harriers |
Coach: |
Taka Yoshida |
Family: |
Father
Romeo was the drummer of the popular pop group Showaddywaddy. |
Hobbies: |
Has
also played basketball for the Birmingham Bullets and Leicester Riders,
while other hobbies include modelling and motorbikes. |
Personal Bests:
High Jump (Outdoors) |
2.30 |
13 Jul 1999 |
Palma de Mallorca, ESP |
High Jump (Indoors) |
2.27 |
7 Feb 1998 |
Birmingham, GBR |
-1997
Challenger, and English
Schools’ champion as an inter and senior boy, made a big breakthrough in 1996
when he cleared a PB of 2.21 to take silver at the World Junior Championships,
adding European Junior silver a year later.
9 July 1994 |
English Schools
Championships |
Telford |
2.06 |
Intermediate Boys |
1st |
24 August 1996 |
World Junior
Championships |
Sydney, Australia |
2.21 |
U20 |
=2nd |
1 March 1997 |
GB v Germany v
France U20 |
Chemnitz, Germany |
2.23 |
U20 |
1st |
1998-1999
By 1998 he was the
Commonwealth silver medallist as he again produced a PB when it mattered,
clearing 2.28m, and he had that golden feeling in 1999 when improving his best
to 2.30m as he won both the World Student Games and European Under-23
Championships.
2000
Sheffield Indoors, February
He secured his first senior
AAA outdoor title in 2000 but his return to Sydney, scene of his 1996 World
Junior medal, proved a disappointment as he failed to produce the goods at the
Olympics as illness affected his build-up to the biggest competition of his
life.
2002
Was again on the podium at
the Commonwealth Games in 2002, where he took bronze, clearing 2.25, the clearance
height of all three medal winners.
Commonwealth Games,
Manchester 2002
2003
In 2003 – having switched
coach to former 2.31 Japanese jumper Taka Yoshida – he earned his third AAA
outdoor title to go with a trio of indoor golds.
2005
8
February |
|
Banska
Bystrica, SVK |
2.25 |
6th |
|
12
February |
|
Sheffield |
2.16 |
4th |
|
22
February |
|
Brno,
CZE |
2.27 |
3rd |
|
5
March |
|
Madrid,
ESP |
2.27 |
11th |
|
5
June |
GBR
v USA v RUS |
Glasgow |
2.15 |
5th |
|
9
June |
Super
Grand Prix |
Ostrava,
CZE |
2.10 |
11th |
|
17 June |
European
Cup |
Florence,
Italy |
2.20 |
7th |
|
European Cup
In
the high jump, Ben Challenger was pleased with his 2.20m performance which
despite finishing seventh, represented a good competition for the 27 year
old.
With
a season’s best of 2.15 outdoors, he threw caution to the wind when he
opted to open his competition at that very height, risking nil points for
Great Britain had his gamble not paid off. Luckily, he was confident in
his ability having enjoyed a good build up in the approach to the
competition:
“I
really felt confident throughout my warm up. Then a few of the guys I know
in the field said I was looking sharp with practice jumps, and I thought
that it was worth starting at 2.15,”
he said.
“I
feel like everything is starting to come together again – I only wish I
could have got more points overall, but I’ll enjoy cheering the others
on this weekend.”
Both
his 2.15 and 2.20 marks were cleared first time which will surely give him
a boost for a training venture to Prague where he will be doing additional
technical work to build on this weekend’s performance. |
2
July |
|
Cork, IRE |
2.18 |
1st |
10
July |
AAA Championships |
Manchester |
2.27 |
1st |
30
July |
BAL |
London |
2.20 |
1st |
12
August |
World
Championships |
Helskini, Finland |
2.24 |
14th Q |
28
August |
|
Banska
Bystrica, SVK |
2.23 |
2nd |
2006
16
January |
|
Trinec,
CZE |
2.15 |
12th |
19 January |
|
Ostrava, CZE |
2.15 |
13th |
21
January |
|
Hustopece,
CZE |
2.10 |
17th |
20
March |
Commonwealth
Games |
Melbourne,
AUS |
2.10 |
5th |
22 March |
Commonwealth Games |
Melbourne, AUS |
2.15 |
8th |
2007
16
January |
|
Hustopece,
CZE |
2.15 |
13th |
5 May |
British
Athletics League Premiership |
London |
2.10 |
3rd |
|