Diana Davies (athlete)

{{short description|British high jumper}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Use British English|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | headercolor = | name = Diana Davies<br>née Elliott | image = | image_size =  | caption = | nationality = British (English) | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|05|07|df=yes}} | birth_place = Catworth, Cambridgeshire, England | death_date = | death_place = | sport = Athletics | event = high jump | height = | weight = | club = Leicester Coritanian AC | pb = }}

'''Diana Clare Davies''' (née '''Elliott'''; born 7 May 1961) is a retired female high jumper from Great Britain, Her personal best of 1.95 metres set on 26 June 1982, at a meet in Oslo, Norway, stood as the UK national record until 2014. She competed at two Olympic Games, reaching the final on both occasions. In Los Angeles 1984, she finished in 9th place (1.88 m), while in Seoul 1988, she finished 8th (1.90m).

== Biography == As a 17-year-old, Elliott finished second behind Carol Mathers in the high jump event at the 1978 WAAA Championships with a jump of 1.76 metres.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19780820/475/0026 |title=Teacher Chris Hands Out A Lesson |work=Sunday Express |date=20 August 1978 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 March 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{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=13 March 2025}}</ref> Elliott would also be runner-up at the 1980 AAAs Indoors and the 1981 AAAs Outdoors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19810726/531/0027 |title=Shirley 'Puffs' To Hat-Trick |work=Sunday Express |date=26 July 1981 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=15 March 2025}}</ref>

Her breakthrough year came in 1982 when she broke the UK records, both indoors and outdoors. Indoors she broke Ann-Marie Cording's record of 1.91 m with a clearance of 1.94 to finish fifth at the European Indoor Championships in Milan. She then set a new outdoor mark of 1.95 m in Oslo, to add one centimetre to Louise Miller's previous record. The indoor record would survive for 15 years. Debbie Marti (1991) and Jo Jennings (1993) both equalled it, before Marti cleared 1.95 in 1997. This remained the record until Katarina Johnson-Thompson cleared 1.96 m in 2014. The outdoor record stood for 32 years. It was equalled by both Susan Jones (2001) and Jessica Ennis (2007), before Isobel Pooley broke it with a clearance of 1.96 m in August 2014. She represented England in the high jump event, at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/brisbane-1982/athletes|title=1982 Athletes|website=Team England}}</ref>

Elliott finally became the British high jump champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1984 WAAA Championships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=13 March 2025 }}</ref> In the same year, she also won the AAAs Indoor and UK Championship.<ref name=AAA>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/WAAAHJ.htm|title=WAAA and National Championships Medallists|website=NUTS}}</ref> At her first Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she cleared 1.90 in the qualification round, before finishing equal ninth in the final with 1.88.

In 1986, now Diana Davies, she again won all three national titles and finished fourth at two major Championships. At the European Indoor Championships in Madrid she was fourth with 1.90 m. Then representing England at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, in one of the highest quality Commonwealth high jump competitions, she again found 1.90 m not enough for a medal, losing out on countback to the Northern Irish pair, Sharon McPeake and Janet Boyle. The winner was Australia's Christine Stanton with 1.92 m. At the European Championships in Stuttgart, both McPeake and Boyle failed to reach the final, leaving Davies as the only UK finalist, placing eighth with 1.87 m.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/edinburgh-1986/athletes|title=1986 Athletes|website=Team England}}</ref>

In 1987, she finished a fine fifth at the World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, with 1.91 m.

Davies qualified for her second Olympic Games in 1988. At the games in Seoul, she again reached the final. Having cleared 1.92 m in qualification she cleared 1.90 m for equal eighth. With fellow UK jumper Janet Boyle also reaching the final (12th), 1988 remains the last Olympic high jump final to feature two UK women. Davies is also the last British women to reach two Olympic high jump finals. The only UK finalist since being Debbie Marti in 1992.

Davies won her fourth AAAs Outdoor title in 1989,<ref name=AAA/> earning selection for England, at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, which were held in January. In Auckland she finished ninth, only managing to clear 1.80 m.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/auckland-1990/athletes|title=1990 Athletes|website=Team England}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/41207|title=Athletes and results|website=Commonwealth Games Federation}}</ref> This would be her last major international competition.

After several low key years, Davies won her first national medal in six years at the 1995 AAAs National Championships, finishing second to Lea Haggett on countback, both having cleared 1.85 m.

She now works in Woolden Hill primary school in Leicester.

==National titles== * 4 Times AAAs National Champion: 1984, 85, 86, 89 (2nd in 1978, 81, 95)<ref name=AAA/> * 2 Times AAAs National Indoor Champion: 1984, 86 (2nd in 1980, 82, 87) * 4 Times UK National Champion: 1984, 86, 87, 88 (2nd in 1982)

==International competitions== {| {{AchievementTable}} |- !colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{ENG}} |- |rowspan=2|1982 |European Indoor Championships |Milan, Italy |5th |1.94 m |- |Commonwealth Games |Brisbane, Australia |6th |1.80 m |- |1984 |Olympic Games |Los Angeles, United States |9th |1.88 m (1.90) |- |rowspan=2|1985 |World Indoor Games |Paris, France |13th |1.80 m |- |European Cup |Moscow, Soviet Union |7th |1.85 m |- |rowspan=3|1986 |European Indoor Championships |Madrid, Spain |4th |1.90 m |- |Commonwealth Games |Edinburgh, United Kingdom |4th |1.90 m |- |European Championships |Stuttgart, Germany |8th |1.87 m (1.89) |- |rowspan=2|1987 |European Indoor Championships |Lievin, France |14th |1.85 m |- |World Indoor Championships |Indianapolis, United States |5th |1.91 m |- |rowspan=2|1988 |European Indoor Championships |Budapest, Hungary |13th |1.80 m |- |Olympic Games |Seoul, South Korea |=8th |1.90 m (1.92) |- |1990 |Commonwealth Games |Auckland, New Zealand |=9th |1.80 m |} * Results in brackets is the height achieved in qualifying round.

==References== {{reflist}} {{refbegin}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071203145555/http://homepages.manx.net/betterathletics/high.htm Statistics] *{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsofworld.com/olympics/athletics/women-high-jump-1988.html |title=Women's High Jump Event At 1988 Seoul Olympics |publisher=Sports of the World |accessdate=2007-12-09 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071014122421/http://sportsofworld.com/olympics/athletics/women-high-jump-1988.html |archivedate = 14 October 2007}} {{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Diana (athlete)}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:British women high jumpers Category:English women high jumpers Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for England Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Category:Sportspeople from Cambridgeshire Category:20th-century English sportswomen