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Julie Crane (Athletics)

Julie won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in March 2006!She first competed for Wales at the age of 16 and has been the Welsh no.1 high jumper ever since. She holds both the Welsh Indoor and Outdoor records, and has won the Welsh Indoor and Outdoor titles each time she has contested them.

Julie did not take up high jumping until she turned 14, having previously played County-level netball, attained a junior brown belt for judo and BAGA 1-4 gymnastics awards. Also, swam competitively and completed all the swimming survival awards whilst at primary school.

Her athletics began when she won the AAA U17 and English Schools Senior Girls titles in 1993 and 1994 respectively, and achieved the qualifying standard for the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria but was not selected to compete as a 17-year-old. Julie has gone on to represent Wales at three Commonwealth Games to date; culminating in her silver medal performance at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

In 2004, she set the current Welsh Indoor record of 1.90m (6’3”) and was merely a centimetre away from qualifying for the 2004 Olympics in Athens when she was involved in a near-fatal car accident. She recovered from her injuries too late to make the Olympic team, but set a new Welsh Outdoor record of 1.89m in August 2004.

Julie cleared 1.90m again the following indoor season and represented Great Britain at the 2005 European Indoor Championships. Injuries persisted throughout 2005 and Julie missed the outdoor season to focus on regaining sufficient fitness to win a medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Julie cleared 1.89m against a world-class field in Glasgow in January 2006, and was one of only two athletes in her event that held their nerve to produce a customary performance of 1.88m in the Commonwealth Games final in March. Julie believes she would have gone one better, had her final attempt at 1.91m not been disallowed!

As for school, Julie has achieved 10 GCSEs, all at Grade A, and holds a Masters degree in Mathematics and Statistics. She works full-time as a Credit Risk Manager and has given presentations to international conferences regarding her field of expertise.Julie is a great example of someone that has performed at the highest level in her academic studies, professional career and sporting achievements alike.

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