{{Short description|Welsh discus thrower}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use British English|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Philippa Roles | image = | caption = | nationality = British (Welsh) | sport = Athletics | event = discus throw | club = Swansea Harriers<br>Sale Harriers Manchester | birth_date = 1 March 1978 | birth_place = Neath, Wales | death_date = 22 May 2017 (aged 39) | death_place = Catford, Lewisham, England | height =180 cm | weight =98 kg | pb = | medaltemplates= }}
'''Philippa Kate Roles''' (1 March 1978 – 21 May 2017) was a Welsh discus thrower who competed at two Olympic and four Commonwealth Games. Roles was British junior athlete of the year – an honour presented at Buckingham Palace. She was the first British discus thrower to medal at junior European level; and narrowly missed out on a medal at under 23 level, finishing 4th. She competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
== Biography == Born in Neath, she studied at Neath Port Talbot College from where she gained her degree, and was resident in London. Roles worked for the train operating company Southern as a train driver on services in South London. She represented Swansea Harriers at club level. Proudly Welsh, she was a popular member of Team Wales and Team GB due to her sense of humour and self-deprecating manner.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sports/grassroots/neath-sport/2008/06/19/athletics-euro-role-for-philippa-91466-21088351|title=Athletics: Euro role for Philippa|author=Skeels, Robert|work=Neath Guardian|date=19 June 2008|accessdate=15 July 2008|archive-date=29 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729121719/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sports/grassroots/neath-sport/2008/06/19/athletics-euro-role-for-philippa-91466-21088351/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Roles was a five-times British discus throw champion after winning the British AAA Championships title in 2002,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/20020715/375/0027 |title=Weekend results - Athletics |work=The Scotsman |date=15 July 2002 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=5 April 2025}}</ref> 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.<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=1 April 2025 |archive-date=24 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524105334/https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=1 April 2025 |archive-date=4 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004105233/http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
Her personal best throw was 62.89 metres, achieved in June 2003 in Loughborough. This placed her third on the British outdoor all-time list, behind Meg Ritchie and Venissa Head. It also ranked her in the World top 20.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK All-Time Lists: Women - Throws |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/wf99.htm |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=www.gbrathletics.com |archive-date=24 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224003900/http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/wf99.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
Roles competed in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, in Manchester in 2002, in Melbourne, Australia in 2006 and Delhi in 2010. She competed in two Olympics - in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Welsh Olympian dies at the age of 39 |url=https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2017-05-22/welsh-olympian-dies-at-the-age-of-39 |archive-date=31 May 2025 |access-date=20 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531202932/https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2017-05-22/welsh-olympian-dies-at-the-age-of-39 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Doel |first=Jon |date=2017-05-22 |title=Welsh Olympian Philippa Roles dies at the age of 39 |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/other-sport/welsh-olympian-philippa-roles-dies-13072599 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Wales Online |language=en |archive-date=31 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531202936/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/other-sport/welsh-olympian-philippa-roles-dies-13072599 |url-status=live }}</ref>
On 16 July 2008, Roles appeared as Jonny Saunders' guest in the feature "Who's in the Locker, Cocker?" on ''Chris Evans Drivetime'' on BBC Radio 2.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Philippa Roles, Welsh discus thrower, Died at 39 – History's Greatest |url=https://historygreatest.com/philippa-roles-welsh-discus-thrower-died-at-39 |access-date=2025-05-05 |language=en-US |archive-date=31 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531202953/https://historygreatest.com/philippa-roles-welsh-discus-thrower-died-at-39 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Roles died suddenly and unexpectedly on 21 May 2017 aged 39.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/wales/39999697|title=Welsh discus thrower Roles, 39, dies|date=22 May 2017|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=20 July 2025|archive-date=21 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250221202106/https://www.bbc.com/sport/wales/39999697|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ROLES Philippa : Obituary, South Wales Evening Post |url=http://bmdsonline.iannounce.mobi/south-wales-evening-post/obituary/roles-philippa/50351232 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630185842/http://bmdsonline.iannounce.mobi/south-wales-evening-post/obituary/roles-philippa/50351232 |archive-date=30 June 2018 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=bmdsonline.iannounce.mobi |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
==International competitions== {| {{AchievementTable}} |- !colspan="5"|Representing {{GBR2}} and {{WAL}} |- |1995 |European Junior Championships |Nyíregyháza, Hungary |12th |44.84 m |- |1996 |World Junior Championships |Sydney, Australia |16th (q) |46.48 m |- |1997 |European Junior Championships |Ljubljana, Slovenia |bgcolor=cc9966|3rd |50.62 m |- |1998 |Commonwealth Games |Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |6th |54.10 m |- |rowspan=2|1999 |Universiade |Palma de Mallorca, Spain |15th (q) |54.82 m |- |European U23 Championships |Gothenburg, Sweden |4th |55.37 m |- |2001 |Universiade |Beijing, China |6th |55.02 m |- |2002 |Commonwealth Games |Manchester, England |4th |57.65 m |- |2004 |Olympic Games |Athens, Greece |18th (q) |58.83 m |- |2006 |Commonwealth Games |Melbourne, Australia |6th |58.38 m |- |2008 |Olympic Games |Beijing, China |27th (q) |57.44 m |- |2010 |Commonwealth Games |Delhi, India |4th |57.99 m |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{World Athletics}} *[http://www.olympics.org.uk/athleterecord.aspx?at=5582 Philippa Roles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225024058/http://www.olympics.org.uk/athleterecord.aspx?at=5582 |date=25 February 2010 }} at the British Olympic Association
{{British Athletics Championships women's discus throw champions}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roles, Philippa}} Category:1978 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Sportspeople from Neath Category:Welsh women discus throwers Category:British women discus throwers Category:Olympic women discus throwers Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Wales Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Category:British Athletics Championships winners Category:Swansea Harriers Athletics Club Category:People educated at Neath Port Talbot College