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England Athletics announce Hall of Fame inductees for 2021

England Athletics is delighted to announce the names of the individuals who will be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame.  The list for 2021 is a star-studded line-up, all of whom fully deserve their place amongst the greats of athletics and running.

You can join us, and those among the list of inductees, as we celebrate the Hall of Fame, Athlete of the Decade award, and National Volunteer Awards Night 2021 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole (NEC) on Saturday 23 October.

The eight Hall of Fame inductees for 2021 who have all made an outstanding contribution to our sport:

  • Greg Rutherford: Long jumper and one of just five British ‘grand slam’ athletes to achieve Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth gold.
  • Jason Gardener: International sprinter with a career spanning 13 years, including record equalling 60m gold at the 2004 World Indoor Championships and Olympic 4x100m relay champion.
  • Tony Jarrett: Sprint hurdler who won gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and a key member of his country’s 4x100m relay team.
  • Verona Elder: 400m European Indoor Champion and 4x400m Commonwealth gold medal winner who went on to manage the GB team in the 1990s.
  • Sheila Sherwood: Britain’s top female long jumper from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s who won Commonwealth gold and Olympic silver.
  • Lloyd Cowan: International athlete turned coach to sprint hurdler Andy Turner and World and Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu.
  • Paul Nihill: Versatile race walker who won 20km silver at the 1964 Olympics and 50km European gold in 1969 and achieved a record 6:17.0 mile.
  • Cherry Alexander: Over her 30 years with UK Athletics, Cherry has played a central role in successfully bidding for and hosting 22 global athletics events.

The National Volunteer Awards will also form an extremely important part of the evening as we welcome those winners from 2020 when, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to host the annual Hall of Fame evening which incorporates these awards and helps shine a spotlight on the inspirational work, passion and commitment that volunteers bring to our sport.

The 2020 National Volunteer Award winners were:

  • Athletics & Running @home: Ossy Joggers - North West region
  • Club of the Year: Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC - London region
  • Coach of the Year: Mike Utting City of Norwich AC - East region
  • Run Leader of the Year: Julie Smith Quarrington Hill Runners - North East region
  • Official of the Year: Mary Hodges Leamington C&AC - West Midlands region
  • RunTogether Group of the Year: Team Caterpillar Yorkshire & Humberside region
  • Services to Athletics or Running: Paul Sanderson Telford AC - West Midlands region
  • Volunteer of the Year: Tracey Jones Southampton AC - South East region
  • Young Volunteer of the Year: Thomas Lewis Run Wild Manchester - North West region

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Chris Jones, CEO of England Athletics, said:

“The Hall of Fame evening is a stand-out date in the calendar we at England Athletics look forward to most. The last 18-months have been a tough time for everyone and, on behalf of the team at England Athletics, I’d like to thank the athletics and running community from the bottom of my heart for everything it has done to keep our wonderful sport going. At grassroots level, a great deal has been asked of our clubs and volunteers in unprecedented times and, once again, their dedication, determination and passion has shone through.

“The Hall of Fame provides us with the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the inextricable link between grassroots athletics and the sport at elite level. The inductee list for this year reflects the very essence of this relationship and we couldn’t be more proud to recognise such talented and inspirational individuals representing athletics administration, coaching and performance. It’s wonderful to bring together people from all parts of the country and all areas of athletics and running to celebrate those who make our sport great.

“The volunteers in our sport play a vital role and one for which we are all extremely grateful.  We’re delighted to be able to reward our National Volunteers Awards winners 2020 for their outstanding work and it’s great that they will be joining us to help welcome the new inductees into our England Athletics Hall of Fame.”

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