Kelly Holmes News
Dame Kelly Holmes runs for Comic Relief
The BBC has details of Dame Kelly Holmes running at the London Sport Relief Mile on March 16, 2008.
Dame Kelly Holmes retires
In August 2005 Kelly Holmes still struggling from injury came ninth in her final athletics appearance in the UK at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix in Sheffield.
At the time Kelly was still undecided whether she would defend her Commonwealth 1500m title in 2006.
However, in December 2005 Dame Kelly Holmes announced her retirement from athletics.
Dame Kelly Holmes announces last GB event
Kelly Holmes announced that August's Grand Prix meeting in Sheffield will be " ... my last track race in the UK."
The double Olympic champion also indicated that her final race anywhere might be the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
31 January 2005 - Kelly Holmes wins, but may not run in World Championships
Kelly Holmes won the 1500m Norwich Union International in a time of 4mins 14.74secs this weekend but said that she might not run in the World Championships in Helsinki in August.
Kelly said: "Will I have as much commitment, desire and energy to go through a major, major champs like that?
"That is what I don't know. That's what is going to take time. Only time is going to tell and how training goes."
Kelly Holmes added that she gave her all to the Olympics and has found it difficult to get back to training, saying:
"I like the racing but I don't like the training any more."
31 December 2004 - Kelly Holmes becomes a Dame
Great news as Kelly Holmes is honoured in the New Years Honours List becoming a Dame.
Kelly said she was "totally shocked a girl who was brought up in a humble council house could be made Dame Kelly Holmes".
Readers of Kelly's biography on this site may recall these words:
"I was watching the BBC coverage when Kelly won her second gold, and Brendan Foster said something like "surely we're going to have to call her Dame Kelly Holmes from now on" - to which Steve Cram replied: "Dame, Duchess, Queen, whatever you like"
What odds now on Queen Kelly Holmes?
12 December 2004 - Kelly Holmes wins BBC Sports Personality of The Year
Kelly Holmes justified hot favouritism and duly won the Sports Personality of the Year tonight.
Kelly gave special mention to her family:
"They've seen me struggle through a lifetime of trying, trying and trying to be the best I could be." Kelly went on:
"Finally after 20 years of dreaming, having seven out of nine years injured, I've got my dream - not once but twice...It's been an emotional roller-coaster. Winning erased the nights of crying my eyes out and the pain I've been going through...My family have seen me go through the struggle, and I'm really grateful to all of them."
She thanked three others:
"My coach Dave Arnold has helped me through the ups and downs of my career since the age of 12...Wesley Duncan bought me back into sport in 1993 and my coach Margo Jennings has helped me reach the success I've had this year."
26 September 2004 - Kelly Holmes wins at home
Kelly Holmes notched up another great victory yesterday. She won the Great North Mile in a record time. It was her first race in Britain since her double gold medal feat at the Olympics.
19 September 2004 - Kelly Holmes wins award
Kelly Holmes has just won today the International Association of Athletics Federations' women's performance of the year award.
19 September 2004 - Kelly wins 1,500 metres at the World Athletics Final
"I felt so comfortable out there, so focused," Holmes said after clutching a necklace engraved with the Union Jack flag. "I had my lucky charm again and sang my favourite Alicia Keys song in my head before I started."
Kelly Holmes, who ran a time of four minutes, 4.55 seconds, beat her great rival Tatyana Tomashova yesterday by just 63 hundredths of a second.
The victory moved Holmes to the top of IAAF rankings in the 1,500 metres.