{{Short description|British athlete (born 1994)}} {{For|the British academic|Liz Bird}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Use British English|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Lizzie Bird | image = | caption = | nationality = British | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|10|4|df=yes}} | birth_place = Manila, Philippines | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | sport = Athletics | event = 3000 metres steeplechase | club = Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers | pb = {{ubl |'''1500 m''': 4:06.56 (Leuven 2024) |'''Mile''': 4:30.67 (Dublin 2022) |'''3000 m steeplechase''': 9:04.35 (Paris 2024) '''{{AthAbbr|NR|British}}''' }} | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Women's athletics}} {{Medal|Country|{{GBR2}}}} {{Medal|Competition|European Championships}} {{Medal|Bronze|2022 Munich|3000 m steeplechase}} {{Medal|Bronze|2024 Rome|3000 m steeplechase}} {{Medal|Country|{{ENG}}}} {{Medal|Competition|Commonwealth Games}} {{Medal|Silver|2022 Birmingham|3000 m steeplechase}} }}
'''Elizabeth Bird''' (born 4 October 1994)<ref name="WAprofile">{{cite web |title=Elizabeth BIRD – Athlete Profile |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/elizabeth-bird-14422252 |website=World Athletics |access-date=2021-01-01}}</ref> is a British athlete who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze medals at the 2022 and 2024 European Athletics Championships.
Bird is the current British record-holder in the 3000 m steeplechase with a time of 9:04.35. She is a three-time (2021, 2022 and 2024) British national champion.
==Early career== Bird began running in St Albans, and her first club was Hertfordshire Phoenix Athletic Club.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1477695-bird-elizabeth.htm |title=Athletics - BIRD Elizabeth |work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics |publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games |access-date=4 August 2021 |archive-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017064936/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1477695-bird-elizabeth.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> She studied at Princeton University, graduating in Public and International Affairs in 2017. She was an NCAA Honorable Mention All-America honoree in the steeplechase in 2015 and was a four-time NCAA Regional qualifier. Bird was a two-time Ivy League champion in the steeplechase and part of the 4x800 m team that won a conference title in 2017 as well as being the Ivy League cross country champion in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2021/7/31/womens-track-and-field-tokyo-olympics-lizzie-bird-17-advances-to-steeplechase-final.aspx |title=Tokyo Olympics: Lizzie Bird '17 Advances to Steeplechase Final |website=Princeton University Athletics}}</ref>
==Career== Bird competed in the women's 3000 m steeplechase event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and did not advance from the heats clocking a personal best of 9:30.13.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/6033/AT-3KSC-W-h----.SL2.pdf |title=3000 Metres Steeplechase Women - Round 1 |work=IAAF (Doha 2019) |access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref>
Having qualified for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in her specialist event, she reached the final after finishing fifth in her heat.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.runbritain.com/news/lizzie-bird-qualifies-for-olympic-steeplechase-final |title=Lizzie Bird qualifies for Olympic Steeplechase final - runbritain |website=www.runbritain.com}}</ref> In the final Bird broke the national record with a time of 9:19.68, placing ninth.<ref name="WAprofile" />
In July 2022, she did not qualify for the final at the World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon in a time of 9:23.17. About three weeks later, Bird won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022 in a personal best of 9:17.79.<ref name="WAprofile" /> She set new lifetime best and a British record of 9:07.87 at the Monaco Diamond League five days later.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barden |first=Katy |date=2022-11-08 |title=How they train: Lizzie Bird |url=https://athleticsweekly.com/performance/training/how-they-train-lizzie-bird-1039962572/ |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=AW |language=en-GB}}</ref> Also in August, she earned a bronze at the European Athletics Championships in Munich, clocking 9:23.18.<ref name="WAprofile" />
She won a second European bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jun/09/dina-asher-smith-wins-100m-gold-at-european-championships|website=The Guardian|date=9 June 2024|accessdate=9 June 2024|first=Sean |last=Ingle|title= Dina Asher-Smith powers to 100m gold for first major title in five years}}</ref> Bird was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/news-and-features/team-gb-athletics-squad-confirmed-for-paris-2024/|title=TEAM GB ATHLETICS SQUAD CONFIRMED FOR PARIS 2024|publisher=GB Athletics|accessdate=5 July 2024}}</ref> where she finished seventh setting a new national record time of 9:04.35.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hertsad.co.uk/sport/24502041.st-albans-lizzie-bird-sets-british-record-olympic-final/|title=St Albans' Lizzie Bird sets British record in Olympic final|date=6 August 2024 |publisher=The Herts Advertiser|accessdate=9 August 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life== Bird lives in Reno with her partner, William. She studied for a master's degree in International Studies at the University of San Francisco between 2017 and 2018 but deferred a place at law school in Boulder, Colorado in order to focus on the 2020 Summer Olympics. She has been involved in advocacy and support for human rights organisation Detention Action.<ref name="auto"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}} * {{Team England|lizzie-bird}}
{{British Athletics Championships women's steeplechase champions}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Elizabeth}} Category:1994 births Category:Living people Category:English women middle-distance runners Category:British women middle-distance runners Category:British women steeplechase runners Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Category:Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics Category:British Athletics Championships winners Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:European Athletics Championships medalists Category:People educated at St Albans School, Hertfordshire Category:21st-century English sportswomen Category:University of San Francisco alumni Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics