Montell Douglas
Montell Marcelle Douglas (born 24 January 1986) is a British sportswoman. Originally a sprinter and former British record holder for the 100 metres at 11.05 seconds. In 2016, she took up bobsleigh, and became part of the Great Britain women's two-woman bobsleigh team the following year. She competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 January 1986 Lewisham, London, England |
| Sport | |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Sport | Athletics, Bobsleigh |
| Club | Blackheath and Bromley Brunel University |
| Turned pro | 2007 (athletics) 2016 (bobsleigh) |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 2008 Summer, 2022 Winter |
| Personal best(s) | 60 m 7.25 100 m 11.05 200 m 23.38 |
| Updated on 30 May 2022. | |
Athletics career
Douglas made her first senior major championship appearance at the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships. Although she was knocked out in the semi-finals, she managed to set a new 60 metres personal best of 7.28 seconds.
She was part of the British 4 x 100 metres relay team that finished fourth at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka (along with Laura Turner, Joice Maduaka and Emily Freeman). At the same championships, she competed in the 100 m individual event but was eliminated in the quarter-finals stage.
In the 2008 season, she finished second behind Jeanette Kwakye in the women's 100 m at the British Championships. At the Loughborough European Athletics meeting on 17 July, during the semi-final she ran a wind-assisted (+2.6 m/s) time of 10.95 seconds. In the final she broke Kathy Cook's British record with a time of 11.05 seconds. Douglas had improved her personal best by almost a quarter of a second, and broken a national record which had stood unbeaten for over a quarter of a century in the process.[1]
2008 Summer Olympics
Douglas represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics, in the 100 metres. In her first round heat she placed second behind Ivet Lalova in a time of 11.36 to advance to the second round. There she failed to qualify for the semi-finals as her time of 11.38 was only the fourth fastest time of her heat, causing elimination.[2] She was also part of the Great Britain team which reached the final of the 4x100 metres relay, and which (along with the Jamaican team) were favourites to claim a medal. Jeanette Kwakye ran a good first bend in the final, but the British team failed to finish due to a mix-up in the changeover between Douglas and Emily Freeman. Jamaica also failed to finish after a similar error between Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart.[3]
Personal bests
| Event | Best | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres | 7.25 s | Newham, England | 13 February 2013 |
| 100 metres | 11.05 s | Loughborough, England | 17 July 2008 |
| 200 metres (outdoor) | 23.34 s | La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland | 28 June 2009 |
| 200 metres (indoor) | 23.93 s | Birmingham, England | 20 February 2005 |
- All information taken from IAAF profile.[4]
Bobsleigh career
In 2016, Douglas took up bobsleigh. She finished in the top 10 on her Bobsleigh World Cup debut in January 2017, and later in the season, she finished seventh at an event in St. Moritz.[5] She was Great Britain's reserve athlete for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.[5] In 2019, Douglas and Mica McNeill finished sixth in the 2-women bobsleigh event in Königssee.[6] In 2020, Douglas and McNeill came fourth in the 2020–21 Bobsleigh World Cup 2-women event in Innsbruck.[7] In January 2022, Douglas and McNeill were selected for the 2-women event at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Douglas became the first female Briton to compete at the Summer and Winter Olympics, and notably, both were held in Beijing.[8] The pair finished 17th in the two-woman event.[9]
Outside sport
Douglas appeared on the game show Who Dares Wins on 14 January 2011 and won £12,500.[10]
References
- ^ Douglas sets new GB 100m record. BBC Sport (17 July 2008). Retrieved on 12 May 2009.
- ^ , beijing2008.cn, ret: 27 August 2008
- ^ "Russia claim surprise relay gold". BBC Sport. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ Douglas Montell Biography. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Montell Douglas". British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Consett bobsleigh star Mica McNeill impresses again on World Cup stage". The Northern Echo. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "MCNEILL AND DOUGLAS RAISE EYEBROWS AS NOLTE TAKES INNSBRUCK VICTORY". Eurosport. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Winter Olympics: Montell Douglas becomes GB's first female summer and Winter Olympian with bobsleigh selection". BBC Sport. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ Final results
- ^ [BBC Who Dares Wins Series 5, Episode 2]
External links
- Montell Douglas at World Athletics