{{Short description|British athlete (born 1996)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Lewis Church | birth_name = | image = | caption = | nationality = British | sport = Athletics | event = Decathlon | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|9|27|df=yes}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | pb ='''Decathlon:''' 8093 (Götzis, 2025)<br>'''Heptathlon:''' 5831 (Stockholm, 2025) | }}
'''Lewis Church''' (born 27 September 1996) is a British multi-event athlete. He has won British national titles in the decathlon and indoor heptathlon.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/lewis-church-14648130|website=World Athletics|accessdate=2 June 2025|title=Lewis Church}}</ref>
==Biography== Church won the senior heptathlon title at the 2022 British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, with a tally of 5488 points.<ref>{{cite web|website=World Athletics|accessdate=2 June 2025|title=UK Indoor Championships|url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7179884?eventId=10229571|date=26 Feb 2022 }}</ref>
He won the heptathlon again at the UK Indoor Combined Events Championships in Birmingham in February 2023, retaining his title with a score of 5529 points.<ref>{{cite web|website=World Athletics|accessdate=2 June 2025|title= UK Indoor Combined Events Championships |url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7197603?eventId=10229571 |date=25 Feb 2023}}</ref> He won the decathlon at the England Athletics Senior Open Championships in July 2023 with 7660 points in Chelmsford.<ref>{{cite web|website=Athletics Weekly|title= England Athletics Senior Open Championships|accessdate=2 June 2025|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7201015?eventId=10229629|date=22 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5fRhSpsb8zRng8xlnBzQ5QN/why-is-there-no-olympic-decathlon-for-women|website=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=12 October 2025|title= Why is there no Olympic decathlon for women?|date=16 November 2023}}</ref> In October 2023, he set the British record in the speed decathlon with 7189 points in Basingstoke.<ref> {{cite web|website=Tonbridgeac|url=https://tonbridgeac.org.uk/2023/10/03/lewis-church-sets-british-record-for-the-one-hour-decathlon/|date=3 October 2023|accessdate=13 October 2025|title= Lewis Church sets British record for the one hour Decathlon }}</ref>
He was runner-up to Sam Talbot at the UK Indoor Combined Events Championship in Sheffield in January 2024,<ref>{{cite web|website=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=13 October 2025|title= ATHLETES UNAWARE UK COMBINED EVENTS CHAMPS TITLE WAS AT STAKE IN SHEFFIELD|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/news/athletes-unaware-uk-combined-events-champs-title-was-at-stake-in-sheffield-1039974463/|date=11 January 2024}}</ref> but won the title the following year with 5778 points, 70 ahead of Sammy Ball.<ref>{{Cite web |title= England Athletics Senior & U20 Combined Events Championships|date=18 Jan 2025 |url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7219932?eventId=10229571 |access-date=17 Jan 2026|website=World Athletics}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://decathletesofeurope.co.uk/meetings/england-championships-heptathlon-preview-sheffield-2026/ |title=England Championships Heptathlon Preview, Sheffield 2026|date=17 Jan 2026|accessdate=17 Jan 2026|website=decathletesofeurope.co.uk}}</ref>
He won the Multistars decathlon in Italy in April 2025 with a score of 8067 points.<ref>{{cite web|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=13 October 2025|title= Britain's Church and Poland's Slocka win the Multistars|date=28 April 2025 |url= https://www.watchathletics.com/article/13345/church-and-slocka-win-the-multistars#google_vignette }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://multistars.it/Multistars_2025/Deca_2025/Finale%20Decathlon.pdf |title=Multistars 2025 Results"|website=multistars.it|date=27 April 2025|accessdate=19 July 2025}}</ref> He finished thirteenth in the decathlon at the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria, in 2025 with a new personal best tally of 8093 points.<ref>{{cite web|website=World Athletics|title=Hypo-Meeting|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7206085?eventId=10229536 |date=1 June 2025 |accessdate=1 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/news/heptathlete-anna-hall-goes-equal-no-2-all-time-in-gotzis-1040001929/|first=Jason|last=Henderson|date=1 June 2025|title= HEPTATHLETE ANNA HALL GOES EQUAL NO.2 ALL-TIME IN GÖTZIS|website=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=2 June 2025}}</ref> He finished thirteenth overall in the season-long World Athletics Combined Events Tour for 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2025/men |website=World Athletics|accessdate=11 October 2025|title=World Athletics Combined Events Tour Standings|date=10 October 2025 }}</ref>
On 18 January 2026, Church retained his heptathlon title at the England Athletics Senior Indoor Combined Event Championships, with a tally of 5767 points.<ref>{{cite web|website=England Athletics|url= https://www.englandathletics.org/news/senior-u20-combined-events-para-and-walk-championships-day-2-a-great-sunday-for-church/|title= Senior, U20 Combined Events, Para and Walk Championships – Day 2, a great Sunday for Church|date=18 Jan 2026|accessdate=18 January 2026 }}</ref> Church was a finalist in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2026 British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, on 14 February 2026.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7232378?eventId=10230176&gender=M |title= Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships|date=14 Feb 2026|access-date=14 Feb 2026| website=World Athletics}}</ref> In May, Church was 17th in the decathlon with 7666 points at the 2026 Hypo-Meeting in Götzis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/news/simon-ehammer-and-annik-kalin-win-at-gotzis-hypomeeting-1040011362/ |title= SIMON EHAMMER AND ANNIK KÄLIN WIN AT GÖTZIS HYPOMEETING |access-date=31 May 2026| website=Athletics Weekly}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Lewis}} Category:1996 births Category:Living people Category:British Athletics Championships winners Category:English decathletes Category:English heptathletes Category:21st-century English sportsmen