News

Team England stars to reunite at Hall of Fame

Stars of Team England’s most successful ever Commonwealth Games will reunite at our Hall of Fame evening on Saturday 15 October.

Medal winners at Birmingham 2022 including Kare Adenegan, Fabienne Andre, Scott Lincoln, Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker, Ben Pattison and Zac Shaw alongside other Team England colleagues such as 2022 European bronze medallist Jazz Sawyers and leader Kelly Sotherton, will join together again for a special evening of celebration at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole (NEC).

Join them on the night with ticket applications closing at 23:30 on Sunday 9 October.

The England Athletics Hall of Fame is an annual event and gala dinner which recognises outstanding achievement at all levels of athletics and running, from grassroots to elite performance. With 2022 witnessing an inspirational ‘home’ Commonwealth Games – relive all the athletics action from Birmingham 2022.

The summer saw Team England winning 176 medals in total – 34 coming from our England athletes and para-athletes – making it the best overall achievement of any England team ever and our most successful track, field, and marathon return since 1994.

“After two years in which Covid decimated our athletics events programme, this year we started to return to the track in a major way,” said Gary Shaughnessy, chair of England Athletics.

“The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham was a tonic that we all needed – inspiring performances, the first top-class tournament to integrate para-athletics into the event and an outstanding medal haul for the England Athletics team under Kelly Sotherton’s leadership.”

At every Hall of Fame event, inspirational athletes, coaches and contributors to our wonderful sport past and present are inducted into an exclusive group of people spanning over a century.

“The Hall of Fame helps us also recognise the almost unique way that our sport works and the strong links between local and elite activities as well as between newly enthused athletes at their peak and experienced, life-changing coaches, officials and volunteers,” added Shaughnessy.

The eight Hall of Fame inductees for 2022

Hall of Fame inductees. Top row, left to right: Keith Connor, Sophie Hitchon, Percy Hodge, John Isaacs. Bottom row, left to right: Dean Macey, Howard Payne, Jon Ridgeon, Steve Smith. Images (except Percy Hodge) by Mark Shearman

  • Keith Connor: Triple jumper who won successive Commonwealth Games gold medals for England in 1978 and 1982. Won European gold in 1982 followed by bronze at the 1984 Olympic Games. Has since enjoyed a successful career in coaching and sports administration.
  • Sophie Hitchon: Hammer thrower and British record-holder which she achieved when winning Olympic bronze, Great Britain’s first ever Olympic medal in the event, at the 2016 Rio Games. Commonwealth bronze medallist in Glasgow 2014.
  • Percy Hodge: Born in 1890, won 3,000m steeplechase gold for Great Britain at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, setting a Games record. Also ran in the heats of the team event in which Great Britain won silver.
  • John Isaacs: One of Britain’s top sprint coaches who worked with some of the country’s most successful athletes, including Tony Jarrett and John Regis, as part of his Haringey AC-based training group
  • Dean Macey: Great Britain and England decathlete between 1995 to 2008, winning the Commonwealth Games title, two world championship medals, as well as finishing fourth in the Olympics. Has gone on to enjoy success in television and broadcasting.
  • Howard Payne: Represented Great Britain in the hammer in three consecutive Olympic Games, starting in 1964. Won Commonwealth Games gold for England in 1962, 1966 and 1970 and silver in 1974 before his passing in 1992, aged 60.
  • Jon Ridgeon: Competed in both the 110m and 400m hurdles between 1984 and 1996, winning World Championship silver for Great Britain in 1987 in the shorter event. A two-times Olympian whose forged a successful career in broadcasting and sports marketing.
  • Steve Smith: Britain’s most successful ever high jumper, having won a medal in every major championship including the Olympic Games in 1996. Set the British outdoor record in 1992 which still stands today, 30 years on.

National Volunteer Awards

The National Volunteer Awards will also form an extremely important part of the evening as we welcome those winners from 2021 and help shine a spotlight on the inspirational work, passion, and commitment that volunteers bring to our sport.

The 2021 National Volunteer Award winners were:

  • Club of the Year: Wirral Athletic Club
  • Coach of the Year: Jonathan Tilt (Southampton AC)
  • Newcomer to Officiating: Luke Finch (Woodford Green AC)
  • Young Volunteer of the Year: Ashley Watson
  • Unsung Hero of the Year: Helen Pickard (Committee and Fixture Secretary, Stevenage and North Herts AC, Hertfordshire)
  • RunTogether Group of the Year: Run Scarborough (North Yorkshire)
  • Leader of the Year: Josh Taylor (Bridlington Road Runners, North Yorkshire)
  • Innovation in Athletics and Running at Home: Mark Smith (North Shields Polytechnic Club)
  • Services to Athletics or Running: Les Barnett (Leamington Cycling and Athletic Club, Warwickshire)

More

  • Read more news from England Athletics
  • Image: Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker wins the men's T45-47 100m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Photo by Mark Shearman