Tanya Blake
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tanya-Gee Blake |
| Nationality |  United Kingdom Malta |
| Born | 16 January 1971 London, England, United Kingdom |
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 58 kg (128 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Middle-distance running |
| Club | Zurrieq Wolves |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800 m: 1:59.56 (2003) 1500 m: 4:29.01 (2003) |
Tanya-Gee Blake (born 16 January 1971 in London, England, United Kingdom) is a retired middle-distance runner, who specialized in the 800 metres. Born in England, she represented Malta internationally.[1] Holding a dual citizenship to compete internationally, Blake set a historic milestone as the first Maltese athlete to break a two-minute barrier and a national record in the 800 metres at the 2003 Prefontaine Classic Grand Prix in Eugene, Oregon, United States, that guaranteed her a spot on her adopted nation's team for the 2004 Summer Olympics.[2][3] During her athletic career, Blake trained for the Zurrieq Wolves track and field team. Pembroke also claimed victory in the 4x100m relay, accumulating 110 points after securing strong positions in most of the other events.[4]
Blake qualified for the Maltese squad in the women's 800 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, by registering her career best and an A-standard entry time of 1:59.56 from the Prefontaine Classic.[2][5][6] Unable to flaunt her stellar race from the Grand Prix a year earlier, Blake posted outside her national record of 2:19.34, but failed to advance further into the semifinals, as she was the last runner to cross the finish line in heat six.[7][8]
Personal life
[edit]Blake was born in England to a Maltese mother and American father.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tanya Blake". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Small teams, large ambitions – Malta and Uganda in Paris". IAAF. 20 August 2003. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Tanya Blake sets new 800m mark in Oregon meet". Times of Malta. 26 May 2003. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Early edge for Pembroke teams". Times of Malta. 15 July 2003. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Blake books World Championships and Olympics berths". Times of Malta. 27 May 2003. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Tanya Blake - the first Maltese to qualify by right". IAAF. 12 August 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "IAAF Athens 2004: Women's 800m Round 1 – Heat 6". Athens 2004. IAAF. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ "Blake out of 800 metres". Times of Malta. 21 August 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Tanya Blake – God Given Talent". 25 June 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
External links
[edit]
- 1971 births
- Living people
- Athletes from London
- Maltese female middle-distance runners
- Olympic athletes for Malta
- English female middle-distance runners
- British female middle-distance runners
- English people of Maltese descent
- English people of American descent
- Naturalised citizens of Malta
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2001 Mediterranean Games
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Malta
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
- Mediterranean Games competitors for Malta
- 21st-century English sportswomen
- 20th-century English sportswomen