Gunnell, Sally (1966—)

views updated

Gunnell, Sally (1966—)

British runner. Born in Chigwell, England, on July 29, 1966; married Jonathan Bigg (a runner).

Immensely popular in England, Sally Gunnell placed first in the 400 meters at the Commonwealth Games in 1986 and the European Indoor championships in 1989. In the 400-meter hurdles, she placed first in the Commonwealth Games (1990, 1994), European Cup (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997), Goodwill Games (1994), European championships (1994), World Cup (1994), and took the World championship in 1993 with a world-record time of 52.74. In the 4x400-meter relay, Gunnell placed first in the Commonwealth Games (1990, 1994) and the European Cup (1994). She also won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles, with a time of 53.23, and the bronze in the 4×400 relay at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Her personal best times include an 11.83 in the 100 meters in a race in Auckland on January 20, 1990; a 23.30 in the 200 meters in London on June 13, 1993; a 51.04 in the 400 meters on July 20, 1994 at Gateshead; a 12.82 in the 100-meter hurdles on August 17, 1988, at Zurich; and a 52.74 in the 400-meter hurdles on August 19, 1993 in Stuttgart. Gunnell was #1 in Track & Field News World rankings in 1993 and 1994.