Ben Challenger
English high jumper (born 1978)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benjamin Arthur Challenger (born 7 March 1978) is an English retired high jumper. His career highlight is winning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and competing at the 2000 Summer Olympics.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 March 1978 Loughborough, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Lucy Challenger | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event | High jump | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Belgrave Harriers | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, Challenger attended Shepshed High School and later he studied sports science at Loughborough University (a course he later abandoned in favour of full-time high jump training).[2] As a youth he considered a career in basketball, and toured the US with the Leicester Riders, leading to offers from NBA talent scouts acting for US universities, which he turned down.
He represented England at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, winning a silver medal,[3] and his personal best jump of 2.30 metres was achieved when he won the 1999 Summer Universiade. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, he represented Great Britain in the high jump event.[1]
He represented the England team again at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and won a bronze medal.[4]
Challenger was a five-times British high jump champion after winning the British AAA Championships title from 2000 to 2005.[5][6]
He is the son of the Showaddywaddy drummer, Romeo Challenger, and the brother of singer Tamzin Challenger.[7]
Challenger is married to recruitment consultant and fitness instructor Lucy.[8] Together they run Studio Challenger in Berkshire, a pilates school.[9]
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain and  England | |||||
| 1996 | World Junior Championships | Sydney, Australia | 2nd | 2.21 m | |
| 1997 | European Junior Championships | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 2nd | 2.20 m | |
| Universiade | Catania, Italy | 11th | 2.10 m | ||
| 1998 | European Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 10th | 2.22 m | |
| Commonwealth Games | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 2nd | 2.28 m | ||
| 1999 | Universiade | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | 1st | 2.30 m | |
| European U23 Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 1st | 2.30 m | ||
| World Championships | Seville, Spain | 25th (q) | 2.20 m | ||
| 2000 | European Indoor Championships | Ghent, Belgium | 14th (q) | 2.16 m | |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 17th (q) | 2.20 m | |
| 2002 | Commonwealth Games | Manchester, United Kingdom | 3rd | 2.25 m | |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 16th (q) | 2.15 m | ||
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 14th (q) | 2.24 m | |
| 2006 | Commonwealth Games | Melbourne, Australia | 8th | 2.15 m | |
