Perri Shakes-Drayton Explained

Perri Shakes-Drayton
Club:Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets
Birth Date:1988 12, df=yes[1]
Birth Place:London, England
Height:1.72 m
Weight:66 kg
Sport:Women's athletics

Peirresha Alexandra Shakes-Drayton (born 21 December 1988) is a British retired track and field athlete. After specialising in the 400 metres hurdles in the early part of her career, a knee injury at the 2013 World Championships forced Shakes-Drayton to concentrate on the 400 metres on her return to athletics.[2] She is the 2013 European Indoor Champion in the 400 metres and won a 2012 World Indoor Championship gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. She has also won silver and bronze medals in the 4 × 400 m relay at the World Championships.

In 2018, Shakes-Drayton took part in the tenth series of the ITV show Dancing on Ice.

Personal life

Shakes-Drayton was born in east London to Christian parents from Grenada, and grew up in Bow, where she continues to reside.[3] She attended Holy Family R.C. Primary School in Poplar and Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate School in Stepney. She studied sports science at Brunel University, where she graduated with a 2:1. She married high-jump athlete Mike Olayemi Edwards in London in June 2019. Shakes-Drayton gave birth to her first child with Edwards on 26 August 2020.[4] Shakes-Drayton is an honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; she was inducted on July 27, 2024 at the sorority's Boulé in Indianapolis, Indiana. [5]

Athletics career

Shakes-Drayton came to prominence at the English Schools Championships where she set a UK junior record time in the 400 m hurdles.[6] She made her first major international appearance at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics where she finished eighth, achieving a new personal best of 57.52 seconds.[7] She took the silver medal at the 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships with a time of 56.46 s, a national junior record in the event.[8] [9]

Shakes-Drayton won the 400 m hurdles at the 2008 Olympic Games GB trials, but veteran Tasha Danvers was instead chosen to represent Great Britain, and went on to win the bronze medal.[10] Despite the non-selection, Shakes-Drayton was considered to be a medal prospect for the next Olympics in 2012.[7] At the 2009 British Championships in Birmingham, she finished second in the 400 metres behind reigning world champion Christine Ohuruogu, setting a new personal best. Further success came on the junior circuit at the 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships, where she won the 400 m hurdles gold medal with a run of 55.26 seconds, another personal best. Having secured a place on the Great Britain team, she set her sights on the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, remarking: "I like people talking about me. It means I must be doing some things right. Now I have to live up to the hype because hype is pointless if you don't live up to it."[11]

She ran at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin and reached the semi-finals of the competition. However, she finished seventh in the race with a time of 57.57 seconds and did not compete in the final. She ran a personal best of 54.91 seconds for the 400 m hurdles to win at the Memorial Primo Nebiolo in June 2010.[12]

In the absence of Tasha Danvers, Shakes-Drayton and Eilidh Child were the sole representatives for Great Britain at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. Shakes-Drayton finished 2nd in her heat, with a time of 55.35. She then finished 3rd in her semi-final to qualify for the final in a new personal best of 54.73. In the final she finished third to win the bronze medal with a new personal best of 54.18.

At the 2012 London Grand Prix, the final Diamond League meeting prior to the 2012 London Olympic Games, Shakes-Drayton recorded another personal best for the 400 m hurdles of 53.77, a time that put her second in the world rankings for the year and also made her the second-fastest British athlete of all time in the event, behind only Sally Gunnell.[13] However, in the Olympic 400 m hurdles she was unable to reach the final, finishing third in her semi-final heat.[14] She was also part of the GB 4 × 400 m relay team which finished fifth in the final of that event.[15]

At the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, Shakes-Drayton went on to win gold in the Women's 400 m final with a Personal Best of 50.85, ahead of another Great Britain runner Eilidh Child. She was also part of the Women's 4 × 400 m team (along with Eilidh Child, Shana Cox and Christine Ohuruogu) that won gold at the same championships.[16]

In 2020, she announced her retirement from her athletics career.[17]

Personal bests

EventTime (sec)Location Date
60 metres7.44London, United Kingdom18 January 2009[18]
400 metres50.50Gateshead, United Kingdom22 June 2013[19]
400 metres hurdles53.67London, United Kingdom26 July 2013
400 metres (indoor)50.85Gothenburg, Sweden3 March 2013

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=GBR/athcode=226698/index.html Biography Shakes-Drayton Perri
  2. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/10489736/Knee-injury-forces-Perri-Shakes-Drayton-to-switch-from-400-metres-hurdles-to-running-one-lap-on-the-flat.html Knee injury forces Perri Shakes-Drayton to switch from 400 metres hurdles to running one lap on the flat
  3. News: Fahy . Dylan . Team GB hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton pledges to 'run her heart out' . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/athletics/team-gb-hurdler-perri-shakesdrayton-pledges-to-run-her-heart-out-8004950.html . 25 May 2022 . subscription . live . The Independent . 2012-08-03 . 2012-08-21.
  4. Web site: BBNaija's Mike Edwards And Wife Perri Welcome First Child. 27 August 2020. 2020-09-07. en-US.
  5. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zeta-phi-beta-sorority-incorporated-announces-newest-class-of-honorary-members-302208069.html Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Announces Newest Class of Honorary Members
  6. Kervin, Alison (2 March 2009).Olympics: Great Britain's female medal hopes begin to feel the pressure. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2009-03-13.
  7. http://www.timeout.com/london/olympics/features/3223/London-s_future_Olympics_stars.htmlLondon's future Olympics stars
  8. http://www.european-athletics.org/files/ejch/medalistbyevent.pdf European Athletics Junior Championships – Medallists by Event
  9. http://www.european-athletics.org/files/ejch/recordset.pdf European Athletics Junior Championships – Records Set
  10. Web site: Britain's Tasha Danvers wins 400m hurdles bronze . The Daily Telegraph. London . https://web.archive.org/web/20200606124905/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/2591417/Britains-Tasha-Danvers-wins-400m-hurdles-bronze-Olympics.html . 2020-06-06 . live .
  11. Majendie, Matt (24 July 2009).Perri Shakes-Drayton is promising to live up to the hype. London Evening Standard. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  12. Sampaolo, Diego (13 June 2010).Kaki scorches 1:43.48, Robles improves to 13.08 in Turin. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-14.
  13. News: Scots star Eilidh Child blown away by 400m hurdles rival Perri Shakes-Drayton at Diamond League meeting . Daily Record . 2012-07-14 . 2012-08-29.
  14. Web site: London 2012 hurdles: Perri Shakes-Drayton loses final place . BBC Sport . 2012-08-06 . 2012-08-21.
  15. Web site: 4x400m relay: USA win fifth successive Olympic title . BBC Sport . 2012-08-11 . 2012-08-21.
  16. News: Perri Shakes-Drayton wins double gold in European Indoors . BBC Sport . 3 March 2013 . 29 September 2023.
  17. Web site: Perri Shakes-Drayton announces retirement . 2023-08-26 . Sky Sports.
  18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/7898106.stm Stars of 2009: Perri Shakes Drayton
  19. Bolt over Powell, Idowu tops world list, Felix goes sub-50 . . 2012-08-29.