Sport Athletics World Indoor Championships 0 Continental Cup 0 Role Track and field athlete Weight 59 kg Education University of Edinburgh | World Championships 0 World Relay Championships 0 Name Eilidh Child Height 1.71 m Parents Jill Baxter | |
Born 20 February 1987 (age 37) ( 1987-02-20 ) Perth, Scotland Country Great Britain
Scotland Events 400 metres hurdles, 4 × 400 metres relay Similar People Kaliese Spencer, Lynsey Sharp, Adam Gemili, Laura Weightman, Sophie Hitchon Profiles | ||
Eilidh doyle ready for her 2nd olympics
Eilidh Doyle (pronounced AY-lee; née Child; born 20 February 1987) is a Scottish track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2016 Games in Rio.
Contents
- Eilidh doyle ready for her 2nd olympics
- Eilidh Doyle and Zoey Clark on their 4x400m silver medal at Glasgow 2019
- Career
- Personal life
- References
Doyle is the Scottish record holder for the 400 metres hurdles with 54.09 sec (2016) and the indoor 400 metres with 51.45 sec (2013). She is the 2014 European Champion and a two-time Commonwealth silver medalist (2010 and 2014) in the 400 metres hurdles. Her other relay honours include World Championship bronze medals in 2013 and 2015.
Eilidh Doyle and Zoey Clark on their 4x400m silver medal at Glasgow 2019
Career
Doyle was born in Perth, Scotland. As a youngster, she twice won the U13 Scottish Schools butterfly swimming title. One of her sisters is a writer, the other used to compete at triple jump and her brother is a footballer.
In 2009, Doyle significantly improved her personal best for the 400m hurdles from 56.84 to 55.32, to finish second at the European U23 Championships in Kaunus, Lithuania, behind fellow British athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton. She also qualified for that years World Championships in Berlin, reaching the semi-finals. In 2010, she further improved to 55.16 at the London Diamond League in August. Then in October, she won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 55.62.
In 2012, Doyle ran below 55 seconds for the 400 metres hurdles for the first time, with 54.96 on 2 June in Geneva. Two weeks later, she earned Olympic selection, with 55.53 for second behind Shakes-Drayton at the Olympic trials. At the London Olympics, she reached the semi-finals, running 56.02.
Doyle won two medals at the 2013 European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, with silver in the 400 metres behind teammate Perri Shakes-Drayton, breaking the Scottish indoor record in the process, with 51.45. She then added a gold in the 4x400 m relay. The British quartet of Christine Ohuruogu, Shana Cox, Doyle and Shakes-Drayton also improved the UK indoor record to 3:27.56. Outdoors, she broke the Scottish 400 metres hurdles record with 54.22 in Birmingham in June. Then in August, at the World Championships in Moscow, she ran 54.32 in her semi-final to reach the final. In the final she was fifth in 54.86. Alongside Cox, Margaret Adeoye and Ohuruogu, she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay.
Doyle captained the first ever Scotland team at the Glasgow International match in January 2014. As captain of the GB & NI team at the 2014 World Indoor Championships in Sopot, she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. 2014 also saw Doyle secure her first 400 metres hurdles British title, and take victory at the first ever IAAF Diamond League meeting in Scotland, the Glasgow Grand Prix. in a European leading time of 54.39. Child also selected to captain the Scottish athletics team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, won a silver medal in the 400 m hurdles behind Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica. Two weeks later, at the European Championships in Zürich, she won a gold medal in the 400 m hurdles, running 54.48. She became the first British woman to win the European 400 m hurdles title for 20 years, the previous British winner being Sally Gunnell in 1994.
In May 2016, Doyle won the 400 metres hurdles at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha in a time of 54.53 seconds, competing for the first time under her married name. On 15 July 2016, she won the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, setting a new personal best of 54.09 seconds. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she reached the final of the 400 metres hurdles, finishing eighth in 54.61, before going on to win a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. With her Olympic bronze, Doyle ties Yvonne Murray as the most decorated Scottish athlete in Olympic World, European and Commonwealth competition, with eleven medals.
Personal life
Doyle has a degree in Physical Education from Edinburgh University and was formerly a full-time PE teacher at Perth Grammar School until she decided to focus further on her training, allowing her to relocate to Bath. In her spare time she likes swimming and is a supporter of Hearts FC where she has a season ticket. She wears a maroon and white wristband during all her races to symbolise her support for the Jambos. In October 2015 she married former 400 metre runner Brian Doyle.