Libby Clegg

Libby Clegg

Libby Clegg at the 2016 Paralympics
Personal information
Full name	Elizabeth Clegg
Nationality	British
Born	24 March 1990 Stockport, Greater Manchester England[1]
Website	www.elizabethclegg.co.uk
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Athletics
Disability class	T11
Event(s)	T11 100m T11 200m
Club	Charnwood
Coached by	Keith Antoine[2]
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2008, 2012, 2016
Medal record Women's paralympic athletics Representing  Great Britain Paralympic Games 2008 Beijing 100 m T12 2012 London 100 m T12 2016 Rio 100 m T11 2016 Rio 200 m T11 IPC World Championships 2011 Christchurch 100 m T12 2006 Assen 200 m T12 2013 Lyon 100 m T12 2013 Lyon 200 m T12 2011 Christchurch 200 m T12 World Games 2011 Antalya 200 m T12 2011 Antalya 100 m T12 World Cup 2009 Manchester 100 m T12 2010 Manchester 100 m T12 2011 Manchester 200 m T12 2012 Manchester 200 m T12 2009 Manchester 200 m T12 2011 Manchester 100 m T12 IPC European Championships 2012 Stadskanaal 100 m T12 2012 Stadskanaal 200 m T12 Representing  Scotland Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 100 m T12

Elizabeth "Libby" Clegg (born 24 March 1990) is a Scottish Paralympic sprinter who has represented both Scotland and Great Britain at international events. She represented Great Britain in the T12 100m and 200m at the 2008 Summer Paralympics,^[3] winning a silver medal in the T12 100m race.^[4] She has also won Gold in Rio at the 2016 Paralympic Games in 100m T11 where she broke the world record and T11 200m, beating the previous Paralympic record in the process, thus making her a double Paralympic champion.

Career history

Clegg has a deteriorating eye condition known as Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy disease giving her only slight peripheral vision in her left eye – she is registered blind. Clegg runs with the aid of guide runner Chris Clarke.

She took up athletics aged 9, joining Macclesfield Harriers AC. She originally tried middle distance running and cross country before starting sprinting.^[1]

In 2006 she competed at the IPC World Championships, winning a silver medal in the T12 200 metres.^[2] This was followed by an appearance at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won a silver medal in the 100 metres.

In January 2011, she competed in the IPC World Championships. Whilst there she took a bronze in the 200m. Clegg is a Paralympic silver medallist and current World Champion in the T12 100m and 200m sprints. She was one of the major success stories from the 2011 IPC World Championships in New Zealand and IBSA World Championships in Turkey.

In June 2012, Clegg won the 100m and 200m at the IPC Athletics European Championships.^[5]

Clegg won silver at the London Paralympics on 2 September 2012 in the T12 100m.^[6] Clegg and guide Mikail Huggins broke the European record in the final.

In October 2012, Clegg won "Para Athlete of the Year" at the Scottishathletics awards and was presented with her award by fellow GB Paralympian David Weir.^[7] She won the award again in October 2013.^[8]

In 2013, Clegg won double silver at the IPC World Championships in Lyon clocking 12.23 and 25.31 over 100m and 200m respectively. Clegg is sponsored by the property marketing business ESPC where she participated in work experience in 2008 during her time at The Royal Blind School.^[9]

Her brother, James, also competed in the pool in the S12 category at London 2012.^[10]

Clegg won the 2014 Commonwealth Games T11/T12 100m with a run of 12.20 seconds, a world-leading time for the year.^[11] Due to illness, she was unable to defend her European titles in Swansea shortly after the Commonwealth games.

She split with guide runner Mikhail Huggins in 2015.^[12] Her new guide runner is Chris Clarke.^[13]

She was also made to pull out of the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships after just one race due to an ankle injury and this also meant that she lost funding from British Athletics.^[14]

In 2016 she was reclassified as a T11 athlete due to her deteriorating eye condition, requiring her to wear a blindfold while racing.^[15] Alongside guide Chris Clarke she won the T11 100m title and 200m title at the 2016 Paralympics.

References

1. "Libby Clegg | London 2012". British Paralympic Association. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
2. Athletics, Cardiff Met. "Biography | Libby Clegg | Eyes Wide Shut, Running Blind". www.elizabethclegg.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
3. BBC Sport – GB Paralympic team for Beijing, 24 July 2008
4. "Pistorius wins dramatic 100m gold". BBC Sport. 9 September 2008.
5. "About Libby Clegg". channel4.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
6. Hart, Simon (2 September 2012). "Paralympics 2012: Libby Clegg makes it a family double as parents and boyfriend sprint between stadiums to see it". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
7. "Libby joy at landing Haven Para Athlete of Year". scottishathletics.org.uk. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
8. Child Crowned Athlete of the Year Scottishathletics. 27-10-2013. Retrieved 30-06-2014.
9. Athletics, Cardiff Met. "Sponsors | Libby Clegg | Eyes Wide Shut, Running Blind". www.elizabethclegg.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
10. James Clegg. British Paralympic Association
11. "Glasgow 2014: Libby Clegg strikes gold in T12 100m". BBC Sport. 28 July 2014.
12. "Libby Clegg splits with guide runner Mikail Huggins". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
13. Sport, Elizabeth Hudson BBC. "Libby Clegg: Paralympic sprinter targets Rio medal with new guide". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
14. "Libby Clegg: Sprinter loses UK Athletics funding for 2015–16". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
15. "Rio 2016 Paralympics: Libby Clegg to wear blindfold following reclassification". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2016-08-26.

External links

• Libby Clegg profile at Power of 10