Ellen Barber
British heptathlete (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ellen Barber (born 5 December 1997) is a British multi-event athlete. She is a two-time national champion in the heptathlon, winning titles in 2019 and 2025. She represented Great Britain in the pentathlon at the 2026 World Indoor Championships.[1]
Pentathlon: 4169 (Manchester, 2021)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 December 1997 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Heptathlon |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | Heptathlon: 6037 (Birmingham, 2025) Pentathlon: 4169 (Manchester, 2021) |
Early life
She attended King's School, Bruton in Bruton, Somerset, and won the heptathlon at the English Schools Combined Events Championship in 2016, and was also a medalist in the heptathlon at the SIAB schools championships.[2][3]
Career
She was runner-up to Kate O'Connor in the pentathlon at the national combined events indoor championships in February 2019.[4] She won the national combined events outdoor title in the heptathlon 2019 with 5385 points.[5][6] She was subsequently selected to compete for Great Britain at the 2019 European Combined Events Team Championships in Lutsk, Ukraine in July 2019.[7][8]
She was runner-up to Jade O'Dowda at the England Athletics Combined Events Championships in Bedford in May 2021, with a personal best score of 6028 points.[9]
She scored a personal best 6037 points to win the 2025 UK Athletics Championships heptathlon title on 27 July 2025, the event held at the England Athletics Championships in Birmingham ahead of Anna McCauley.[10]
Barber was named in the British squad for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland.[11][12]
Personal life
She is the granddaughter of British racehorse owner Paul Barber, owner of multiple successful racehorses such as See More Business, Clan des Obeaux, and Denman. An experienced horse rider herself, she participated in three-day eventing in her youth. She also he took part in the Markel Magnolia Cup charity horse race at Goodwood Racecourse in 2024.[13][14] That year, she became an inaugural member of the England Athletics Athlete Panel.[2]