Catherine Ann Murphy (born 21 September 1975) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

former athlete who competed mainly in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

and 400 metres. She finished fourth in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, fourth in the 400 metres at the 2003 World Indoor Championships, and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2005 European Indoor Championships.

Career

Catherine Murphy was born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

on 21 September 1975. Murphy won the 1991

English Schools Education in England is overseen by the United Kingdom's Department for Education. Local government authorities are responsible for implementing policy for public education and state-funded schools at a local level. England also has a tradi ...

200m title in 25.0 and the 1993 English Schools 200m title in a wind-assisted 23.72. As a member of the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

club Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, she defeated club-mate Simmone Jacobs to win the 1995

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the officia ...

200m title in 23.40 secs, which qualified her for the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. The relay team finished the preliminary round in ninth place; eighth place would have qualified them for the finals. She finished fourth in the 200m final at the 1996 AAA Championships/Olympic trials. In 2001, Murphy became the first woman in history to win the 200m/400m double in the same year at the AAA Indoor Championships, winning in Welsh record times of 23.35 and 52.31. The 200m record still stands (as of 2018). While competing for the AAA Indoor Championships, Murphy was in her third year of law at

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June ...

. Murphy was daunted to focus on the 400m over the 200m, but the events were too close to each other during the World Indoor Championships to compete in both. She decided to focus on the 400m for the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon. She went on to be a member of the British quartet that finished fifth in the 4 × 400m relay at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton. In the 400m she was third in her heat but had the 27th fastest time overall and did not advance to the semifinals. She hoped to medal in the 400m at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

since her rival Katharine Merry was injured, but finished sixth in the final. At the 2002 AAA Indoor Championships she was unable to try for a repeat of the double due to a change in the event schedule. At the Championships she finished the 400m semifinals in 53:06, which qualified her for the event finals and the European Indoor Championships. Murphy improved her Welsh indoor 400m record to 51.74 secs in the semifinals of the 2003 World Indoor Championships, a record that stood until Seren Bundy-Davies ran 51.72 in 2016. Murphy ran 51.99 for fourth in the final. The 4 × 400m relay finished with a time of 3:26.67. Natasha Danvers started the last leg in fourth but slid to sixth place. Murphy was named to the relay team in July 2004. At the

, she again finished fourth in the 4 × 400m relay, along with

Donna Fraser Donna Karen Fraser (born 7 November 1972) in Thornton Heath, Croydon is an English former athlete, who mainly competed in the 200 and 400 m. Career An exceptional junior, Fraser won six English Schools 200 m titles (as well ...

, Christine Ohuruogu and Lee McConnell. The team advanced to the finals with a time of 3:26.99 in their heat. In the finals they ran a 3:25.12, finishing fourth. In 2010, Crystal Cox, a member of the gold-medal US relay team, admitted to doping. In March 2010, the IAAF released a statement: "According to the IAAF Competition Rules in effect in 2004, the US relay team results will be disqualified accordingly." The statement prompted the chairman of UK Athletics to send a letter to Great Britain's relay team, congratulating them on their now bronze-medal finish. In the end, the IAAF stripped Cox of her gold medal but did not reallocate any other medals, so Murphy's team kept their fourth place finish. In 2005, she won a bronze medal as part of the 4 × 400m relay at the European Indoor Championships. Murphy competed in the 400m at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She finished fifth in her heat with a time of 53.67. The top three in each heat qualified for the next round and the nine fastest times after that; she was the sixth fastest and qualified for the semifinals. A month after the competition, Murphy announced her retirement from athletics on 28 April 2006.

International competitions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Catherine Welsh female sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games 1975 births Living people Welsh people of Irish descent Sportspeople from Hemel Hempstead Sportspeople from Sheffield Olympic athletes of Great Britain Commonwealth Games competitors for Wales Alumni of Brunel University London