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Megan Keith

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Megan Keith
Megan Keith in 2024
Personal information
NationalityScottish, British
Born (2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 (age 22)
Inverness, Scotland
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)5,000 m, 10,000 m
Coached byRoss Cairns[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)5000m: 14:43.24 (Suzhou, 2024)
10,000m: 30:36.84 (San Juan Capistrano, 2024)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Rome 10,000 m
European U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Espoo 5000m
European Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Brussels U23 race
Gold medal – first place 2023 Brussels U23 team
Gold medal – first place 2021 Dublin U20 race
Silver medal – second place 2022 Turin U23 race
Women's orienteering
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Silkeborg Relay

Megan Keith (born 23 April 2002) is a British track and field athlete and cross country runner.[2] 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.

Career

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Early career

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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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5][6]

Following this success, Keith won Scottish Young Sportswoman of the Year at the Scottish Women in Sport awards.[7][8] Immediately after this award, Keith came 27th at the 2019 European U20 Cross Country Championship in her debut for Great Britain in athletics.

2021

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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.[9] Keith won gold at the European U20 Cross Country Championship in Dublin in December 2021.[10]

2022

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In 2022, she became the British under-23 3000m champion as well as Scottish Under-23 Cross Country Champion.[11] In December, she finished second in the 2022 European Cross Country Championships under-23 race, in Turin.[12]

2023

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In February 2023, Keith was named in the Great Britain squad for the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia,[13] where she placed 53rd.[14]

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.[15] She won the 5000m gold medal ahead of Spaniard Maria Forero and compatriot Eloise Walker.[16][17][18] In July 2023, competing at the Diamond League event in London, she set a new 5000m personal best time of 14:56.98.[19] She was chosen to represent Great Britain at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.[20]

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.[21]

2024

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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.[22] 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.[23] The event was the first time that Keith ever ran 10,000m on the track.[1] 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]

Personal life

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At University Keith studies Sport Science[32] and shares a flat with fellow GB athlete Alyson Bell and triathlete Isla Britton.[33]

References

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  1. ^ a b Boswell, Rachel (14 August 2024). "Who is 10,000m Olympian Megan Keith?". Runner's World UK. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Megan Keith | Team GB". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  3. ^ Smith, Tyrone (7 August 2023). "Megan Keith: Former orienteering champion navigating her way into athletics limelight". BBC Scotland Sport. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  4. ^ "GB Megan Keith (INVOC) on the podium in Gold position!". britishorienteering.org.uk. British Orienteering Federation. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  5. ^ "JWOC". ontheredline.org.uk. On the Red Line. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Team GOLD for the girls! JWOC 2019 roundup". scottish-orienteering.org. Scottish Orienteering. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Megan Keith scoops National Sports Award". scottish-orienteering.org. Scottish Orienteering. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Inverness teenager wins Scottish young sportswoman of the year award". Inverness Courier. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Fourth place finishes for Megan and Kane at Euro U20s". Scottish Athletics. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Megan Keith from Inverness wins U20 Gold". Runners Gazette. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  11. ^ Heath, Georgie (June 9, 2022). "Megan Keith uses 'killer instinct' to make her mark in athletics". Athletics Weekly.
  12. ^ "European Cross Country Championships: Megan Keith takes silver in under-23 race". BBC Sport. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Athletics: Inverness Harriers' Megan Keith makes senior Great Britain squad grade for World Cross Country Championships". Press and Journal. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  14. ^ "U20 Women's Result". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Keely Hodgkinson and Jeremiah Azu to Captain GB & NI at European U23 Championships". British Athletics. 13 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Fabulous in Finland! Megan Keith wins gold in Women's 5000m at Euro U23 Champs". Scottish Athletics. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  17. ^ Henderson, Jason (July 14, 2023). "Megan Keith and Charles Hicks win 5000m gold in Espoo". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  18. ^ "Megan Keith wins gold in 5,000m at European Under-23 Championships". BBC Sport. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  19. ^ "5000M". London.Diamondleague.com. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  20. ^ "GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD SELECTED FOR THE 2023 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPS". Britishathletics.org.uk. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  21. ^ "European Cross Country Championships: Great Britain's Abbie Donnelly claims bronze". BBC Sport. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Scots runner Megan Keith sets new European U23 record at 10,000m". BBC Sport. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Megan lands Olympic qualifier in 10,000m – and Jake, Callum on way back, too". Scottish Athletics. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Keith records second Olympic qualifying time". BBC Sport. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Britain's Keith wins in London to claim Olympic spot". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  26. ^ "KATARINA JOHNSON-THOMPSON NAMED IN STRONG GB & NI TEAM FOR EUROPEANS ROME 2024". British Athletics. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Inverness athlete Megan Keith claims bronze medal at European Championship 10,000 metres". Inverness Courier. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  28. ^ Ingle, Sean. "Daryll Neita misses out on 200m gold by 0.01sec … after thinking she had won". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  29. ^ Poole, Harry (11 June 2024). "'Distraught' Neita wins European 200m silver". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  30. ^ Wood, Becca (11 August 2024). "What happened to Megan Keith? Why the runner finished her race alone". Today. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  31. ^ "Support act: Eilish on hand to help Megan after tough night". Scottish Athletics. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  32. ^ Henderson, Michelle (9 August 2024). "'We are all really proud of her': Home crowd cheers on Inverness athlete Megan Keith in Paris Olympic final". Press & Journal. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  33. ^ Smith, Tyrone (15 August 2023). "World Athletics Championships: Alyson Bell heads to Budapest with famous faces". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
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