# Craig Winrow > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Craig_Winrow > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Craig_Winrow.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Winrow > Source revision: 1342362490 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English runner (born 1971)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Craig Winrow | image = | imagesize = 180px | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|12|22|df=y}} | birth_place = [Ormskirk](/source/Ormskirk), [West Lancashire](/source/West_Lancashire), England | height = {{convert|1.79|m|ftin|abbr=on}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041204/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/craig-winrow-1.html Sports-Reference profile] | weight = {{convert|71|kg|lb|abbr=on}} | sport = [Athletics](/source/Athletics_(sport)) | event = 800 m | club = Wigan Harriers | medaltemplates = }} '''Craig Nicholas Winrow''' (born 22 December 1971 in [Ormskirk](/source/Ormskirk)) is an English male retired [middle-distance runner](/source/Middle-distance_running) competing primarily in the [800 metres](/source/800_metres).{{World Athletics}} ==Early life== Winrow was educated at [Burscough Priory High School](/source/Burscough_Priory_Academy) in [Burscough](/source/Burscough), [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire). As a 14 year old student in 1986, he "shattered" the Lancashire Schools' County Athletics Championships in the {{convert|800|metres}} event, finishing with a time of 2 minutes and 1.3 seconds, beating the previous best by 3 seconds.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97328727 |title=Craig shatters schools' record |newspaper=The Ormskirk Advertiser |date=19 June 1986 |page=11}} At the age of 15, he was running {{convert|400|metres}} in 49 seconds and {{convert|800|metres}} in 1 minute 51.8 seconds, which was almost level with the UK age-best for his age group. By the age of 16, he was being sponsored by local computer firm [Southport](/source/Southport) Hi-Tech, where he planned to join on a [youth training scheme](/source/Youth_Training_Scheme) after leaving school. As a young athlete, he looked up to [Steve Ovett](/source/Steve_Ovett) and was aiming to compete in the [1992 Summer Olympics](/source/1992_Summer_Olympics). In 1987, he was described by [The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) as being "the most exciting 800-metre prospect in Britain since the schooldays of [Cram](/source/Steve_Cram) and [Coe](/source/Seb_Coe)."{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89930187/craig-winrow/ |title=A star making tracks |newspaper=The Guardian |page=27 |date=28 October 1987}} Success in athletics came relatively early during his school days, having originally been a sprinter and was described as having "the heritage of a sprint finish that has subsequently devastated his peers". ==Athletics career== In the summer of 1989, he was the winner of the [1989 European Athletics Junior Championships](/source/1989_European_Athletics_Junior_Championships) 800-metre event in [Varaždin](/source/Vara%C5%BEdin), [Yugoslavia](/source/Yugoslavia), having initially trailed but overtook everyone on the final lap to victory. He loved running and was known to tell others what they were missing, suggesting that if he wasn't running then he may be "working in a packing factory or something."{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89931015/craig-winrow/ |title=A Winrow on high |newspaper=The Observer |page=22 |date=17 June 1990}} Winrow became the [British 800 metres champion](/source/List_of_British_champions_in_800_metres) after winning the British [AAA Championships](/source/AAA_Championships) title at the [1994 AAA Championships](/source/1994_AAA_Championships).{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=5 July 2025}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=5 July 2025}} He represented [England](/source/England_at_the_1994_Commonwealth_Games) in the 800 metres event at the [1994 Commonwealth Games](/source/1994_Commonwealth_Games) in [Victoria](/source/Victoria%2C_British_Columbia), [British Columbia](/source/British_Columbia), [Canada](/source/Canada).{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/victoria-1994/athletes|title=1994 Athletes|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/games/3043/19/all|title=England team in 1994|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507165937/https://thecgf.com/results/games/3043/19/all|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/38194|title=Athletes and results|website=Commonwealth Games Federation}} He represented Great Britain at the [1996 Summer Olympics](/source/1996_Summer_Olympics) reaching the semifinals.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/craig-winrow-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041204/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/craig-winrow-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-18|title=Olympic Profile|website=Sports Reference}} His personal bests in the event are 1:45.23 outdoors (Rome 1996) and 1:47.78 indoors (Glasgow 1994). ==Coaching== Nowadays he works as a coach. He has trained, among others, [Joe Wigfield](/source/Joe_Wigfield),{{Cite web |url=https://athleticsweekly.com/news/a-lap-with-joe-wigfield-1040010003/ |title= A LAP WITH ... JOE WIGFIELD|first=Tim|last=Adams|date=21 Feb 2026|access-date=7 March 2026| website=Athletics Weekly}} [Andrew Osagie](/source/Andrew_Osagie) and [Adelle Tracey](/source/Adelle_Tracey). ==Competition record== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |- !colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} and {{ENG}} |- |rowspan=2|1989 |rowspan=2|[European Junior Championships](/source/1989_European_Athletics_Junior_Championships) |rowspan=2|[Varaždin](/source/Vara%C5%BEdin), [Yugoslavia](/source/Yugoslavia) |bgcolor=gold|1st |800 m |1:50.01 |- |6th |4x400 m relay |3:12.61 |- |1990 |[World Junior Championships](/source/1990_World_Junior_Championships_in_Athletics) |[Plovdiv, Bulgaria](/source/Plovdiv%2C_Bulgaria) |bgcolor=silver|2nd |4x400 m relay |[3:03.80](/source/1990_World_Junior_Championships_in_Athletics_%E2%80%93_Men's_4_%C3%97_400_metres_relay) |- |rowspan=4|1994 |[European Indoor Championships](/source/1994_European_Athletics_Indoor_Championships) |[Paris, France](/source/Paris%2C_France) |14th (h) |800 m |[1:49.88](/source/1994_European_Athletics_Indoor_Championships_%E2%80%93_Men's_800_metres) |- |[European Championships](/source/1994_European_Athletics_Championships) |[Helsinki, Finland](/source/Helsinki%2C_Finland) |6th |800 m |[1:47.09](/source/1994_European_Athletics_Championships_%E2%80%93_Men's_800_metres) |- |[Commonwealth Games](/source/Athletics_at_the_1994_Commonwealth_Games) |[Victoria, Canada](/source/Victoria%2C_Canada) |4th |800 m |[1:46.91](/source/Athletics_at_the_1994_Commonwealth_Games_%E2%80%93_Men's_800_metres) |- |[World Cup](/source/1994_IAAF_World_Cup) |[London, United Kingdom](/source/London%2C_United_Kingdom) |bgcolor=cc9966|3rd |800 m |[1:47.16](/source/1994_IAAF_World_Cup_results) |- |1996 |[Olympic Games](/source/Athletics_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics) |[Atlanta, United States](/source/Atlanta%2C_United_States) |21st (sf) |800 m |[1:48.57](/source/Athletics_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men's_800_metres) |} == References == {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Winrow, Craig}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Ormskirk Category:English men middle-distance runners Category:British men middle-distance runners Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for England Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Craig Winrow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Winrow) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Winrow?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.