| Megan Keith | |
| Nationality: | Scottish, British |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Event: | 5,000 m, 10,000 m |
| Birth Date: | 23 April 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Inverness, Scotland |
| Coach: | Ross Cairns |
| Pb: | 5000m: 14:43.24 (Suzhou, 2024) 10,000m: 30:36.84 (San Juan Capistrano, 2024) |
Megan Keith (born 23 April 2002) is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner.[1] She was the 2023 European U23 champion over 5,000 metres and won a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships.
During her teenage years, Keith competed in orienteering and won European and World Youth Championship gold medals in the sport, before starting to focus on running at around the ages of 16-17.[2] In 2018, at her international orienteering debut, she became the first ever female to win a gold medal for Great Britain at the European Youth Orienteering Championships in Bulgaria, winning the sprint event by a huge margin of 34 seconds.[3] In 2019, Keith went on to be part of the British relay team that won the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Denmark, the first ever British gold medal in the competition.[4] [5]
Following this success, Keith won Scottish Young Sportswoman of the Year at the Scottish Women in Sport awards.[6] [7] Immediately after this award, Keith came 27th at the 2019 European U20 Cross Country Championship in her debut for Great Britain in athletics.
An Inverness Harriers athlete, and Edinburgh University student, Keith ran a new personal best at the 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships held in Tallinn, running 9:16.50 in the 3000m.[8] Keith won gold at the European U20 Cross Country Championship in Dublin in December 2021.[9]
In 2022, she became the British under-23 3000m champion as well as Scottish Under-23 Cross Country Champion.[10] In December, she finished second in the 2022 European Cross Country Championships under-23 race, in Turin.[11]
In February 2023, Keith was named in the Great Britain squad for the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia,[12] where she placed 53rd.[13]
She was selected as part of the Great Britain team for the 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships held from in July 2023 in Espoo, Finland.[14] She won the 5000m gold medal ahead of Spaniard Maria Forero and compatriot Eloise Walker.[15] [16] [17] In July 2023, competing at the Diamond League event in London, she set a new 5000m personal best time of 14:56.98.[18] She was chosen to represent Great Britain at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.[19]
She won the U23 race at the 2023 European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in December 2023 and also claimed gold as part of the British squad which won the U23 team event.[20]
In January 2024, she set a European U23 record running in the Valencia 10K as she posted a time of 31.22m beating a record set by German athlete Alina Reh in 2018. The run was also the third fastest by a Scots athlete over 10,000m on the road - with only Liz and Eilish McColgan having recorded faster times.[21] In March 2024, she ran a 10,000 metres time of 30:36.84 in San Juan Capistrano, California, to place fourth on the UK all-time list for the event.[22] The event was the first time that Keith ever ran 10,000m on the track.[23] In April 2024, she set a British under-23 record time of 14:43.24 in the 5,000m at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai.[24] Keith secured a place in the 10,000m at the 2024 Summer Olympics by winning the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London on 18 May having previously achieved the qualifying standard.[25]
She was selected to run the 10,000 metres for Britain at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.[26] She won her first senior medal taking bronze, in only her third 10,000 metres race on the track in a time of 31:04.07.[27] [28] [29]
Keith was selected to run the 10,000m at the Olympic Games in Paris. Although she also qualified for the 5000m, she was not selected. In the 10,000m final, Keith finished in last place after sustaining an ankle injury, being lapped by the leaders and receiving a time of 33:19.[30] [31]
At University Keith studies Sport Science[32] and shares a flat with fellow GB athlete Alyson Bell and triathlete Isla Britton.[33]