Nikki Hamblin Explained

Nikki Hamblin
Birth Place:Dorchester, Dorset, England
Education:Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Residence:Cambridge, Waikato, New Zealand
Club:Cambridge Athletic & Harrier Club
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Nikki Jayne Hamblin (born 20 May 1988) is a New Zealand middle distance runner who specialises in the 800 and 1500 metres. Born in England, Hamblin ran for the Dorchester Athletics Club before moving to New Zealand in 2006. She gained New Zealand citizenship in 2009.[1] In 2010, Hamblin became the New Zealand record holder in the 1500 metres and won the silver medal in both the 800 and 1500 metres at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.[2]

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she received considerable international media attention following an incident during the 5000m heat in which both she and American Abbey D'Agostino fell. The two women helped each other finish the race and were allowed to compete in the final. As D'Agostino had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus she was unable to participate further. Hamblin's injuries were less serious and she was able to compete in the final but finished last. Both athletes were praised for their sportsmanship and "Olympic spirit",[3] and were subsequently awarded the Rio 2016 Fair Play Award by the International Fair Play Committee.[4] [5]

Personal bests

EventTimeDateLocation
800 metres1:59.664 September 2010Split, Croatia
1500 metres4:04.82 22 July 2011Barcelona, Spain
Mile4:31.1622 July 2016Dublin, Ireland
3000 metres8:51.4814 June 2014New York City, United States
5000 metres15:18.022 May 2015Palo Alto, California

International competitions

2010Commonwealth GamesDelhi, Indiabgcolor=silver2nd800 m2:00.05
bgcolor=silver2nd1500 m4:05.97
2014Commonwealth GamesGlasgow, Scotland7th800 m2:02.43
5th1500 m4:10.77
2015World ChampionshipsBeijing, China31st (h)1500 m4:16.65
2016Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil30th (h)1500 m4:11.88
17th5000 m16:14.24

Notes and References

  1. News: British track star Nikki Hamblin becomes a Kiwi . Gilhooly, Daniel . 14 July 2009 . . . 30 October 2011.
  2. http://tvnz.co.nz/commonwealth-games/nikki-hamblin-strikes-silver-double-3831605 Nikki Hamblin strikes silver double
  3. Martin Rogers, A fall in the 5,000 delivers an uplifting moment, USA Today, 16 August 2016
  4. Web site: Fair Play Awards recognise true Olympic champions in sportsmanship. 20 August 2016.
  5. Web site: Rio Olympics 2016: Hamblin wins fair play award. 21 August 2016. New Zealand Herald.