Lisa York – Olympian
After the Summer Olympic and Paralympics Games in Paris, it seems like an apt time to inform or remind Chronicle readers of a once-resident Olympian, Lisa York. Lisa lived in Kibworth in the 1980s and was a middle and long distance runner who competed for Leicester Coritanians Athletics Club. I’m sure a few Kibworth residents still remember her training around the village. She competed in events including 800, 1500 and 3000 metres, road 5k, the mile and cross country.
In 1988 at the age of 18, Lisa secured sponsorship from Saucony (an American trainer manufacturer), along with another runner called Steve Ovett. She was their first British female athlete on the roster. Her main achievements are in 1991 and 1992 running at the world cross country championships, achieving an IAAF medal in the world relay championships for fastest leg, and competing at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
At Barcelona she missed qualifying for the 3000m final by less than two tenths of a second, coming fourth in a time of 8 min 47.71sec. She had run in a temperature of 29°C and 89% humidity, the kind of conditions not conducive to fast distance running. “It didn’t feel too bad at first,” she said, “but by the fourth lap I started to eat my sweat and was gulping for air”. Her final lap was a very fast 62 seconds and normally would have seen off any competition. If you’d like to read more, two past Chronicles issue number 106 and 108 from 1988 have write-ups on her.
Rob Pullen
(Leicester Running Shop and Kibworth Resident)
Kibworth Beauchamp Parish Council
