Danielle Brown MBE (born 10 April 1988) is a British competitive archer and award winning

children's author Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

. She competed in the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

, winning gold medals in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, and has also won medals shooting in the able-bodied category, including at the Commonwealth Games. She was born in Steeton,

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

."Ones to watch in Delhi: Danielle Brown"
BBC, 4 October 2010

Career

Her first international competitive event was at the European Archery Championships (for athletes with disabilities) in

Nymburk Nymburk (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Mo ...

in 2006. She reached the semi-finals of the Compound Bow Open Class event, and was defeated by Gulbin Su of Turkey. She lost the bronze medal match to fellow British competitor Melanie Clarke., International Paralympic Committee – Archery She then took part in the

IPC IPC may refer to: Businesses and organizations Arts and media * Intellectual Property Committee, a coalition of US corporations with intellectual property interests * International Panorama Council, an international network of specialists in ...

World Archery Championships in

Cheongju Cheongju (; ) is the capital and largest list of cities in South Korea, city of North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The 'Cheong' in the name of Chungcheong Province is the Cheong of Cheongju. History Cheongju has been an important prov ...

in 2007. Competing in the Compound Bow Open Class event, she won gold with a score of 114 points (defeating Gulbin Su 116–107 in the semi-final, and Wang Li of China 114–108 in the final). She was also part of the British women's team which won gold in the team event in the Compound Bow Open Class, defeating Japan 221–199 in the final. In 2008, Brown won silver (beaten by Gulbin Su in the final) in the Invitation Disabled Archery Event in

Stoke Mandeville Stoke Mandeville is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located three miles (5 km) from Aylesbury and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the market town of Wendover. Although a separate civil ...

, then competed at the

in Beijing, where she won gold in the Women's individual compound, defeating Wang in the quarter-finals, Clarke in the semis, and Chieko Kamiya of Japan in the final (112–98). In 2009, she won a second successive individual gold medal, and a team gold, at the IPC World Archery Championships, followed in 2010 by three successive individual gold medals: at the Arizona Cup, at the Stoke Mandeville World Invitational Disabled Archery Competition, and at the

European Para-Archery Championships The European Para-Archery Championships is a competition for European disabled archers. Editions *† The 2020 European Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Medal table As of 2022. Medalists 2010 (Vichy) 2014 (Nottwil ...

. She represented England in

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, having qualified "after a two-day selection shoot in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

in June where she finished second behind world number one

Nicky Hunt Nicholas Brett Hunt (born 3 September 1983) is an English former footballer. He is a coach for Warrington Rylands 1906. He is best known for his spell at Bolton Wanderers at the beginning of his career. Originally a right-back, he converted to ...

". She was "the first Paralympian to represent England in an able-bodied event at the Games", though cyclist

Sarah Storey Dame Sarah Joanne Storey (née Bailey; born 26 October 1977) is a British cyclist and swimmer, a multiple gold medallist in the Paralympic Games, and six times British (able-bodied) national track champion (2 × Pursuit, 1 × Points, 3 × Team ...

(who won two gold medals in cycling at the 2008 Paralympics) also competed against able-bodied athletes a few days later. She won a gold medal in the Women's Team Compound event, beating Canada 232–229 alongside team-mates

and

Nichola Simpson Nichola Simpson (born 10 October 1956) is a British archer. She competes in compound archery, and has reached a career high of 4th in the FITA world rankings (23 August 2008). Simpson is a member of Oxford Archers, and is coached by her husban ...

. In 2011, she won an additional individual gold medal at the IPC World Championships in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, followed by two silver medals in the women's team event and the mixed team event. In 2012, she won her second successive Paralympic Games gold medal, beating GB teammate Mel Clarke in the final at the Royal Artillery Barracks, London. That year she also won the Indoor World Cup in Nimes and got a silver medal at the World Cup Finals in Tokyo, both in the able-bodied category. Brown was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to archery. She also had a postbox painted gold after the London Paralympics On 1 September 2013 Brown won the able-bodied British title with victory at the Archery GB National Series finals in Nottingham. She beat Lucy O'Sullivan 142–141 in the compound final. In November 2013, World Archery announced that Brown would not be able to compete in Para-Archery contests (such as the 2016 Olympics) in the future as her disability did not have a direct and important impact on her archery performance. She appealed the ruling, but it was upheld in favour of World Archery. As of 1 April 2014, she is unable to compete in Para-Archery. Brown competed at the 2015 able-bodied World Championships in Copenhagen. In 2017 she appeared on ''

Christmas University Challenge ''Christmas University Challenge'' is a British quiz programme which has aired on BBC Two since 19 December 2011. It is a spin-off from ''University Challenge'' that airs daily over the Christmas period, and features teams of noteworthy alumn ...

'' on a team representing

Leicester University The University of Leicester ( ) is a public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, University College, Leicester, gained university ...

Personal life

Brown has

complex regional pain syndrome Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS type 1 and type 2), sometimes referred to by the hyponyms reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) or reflex neurovascular dystrophy (RND), is a rare and severe form of neuroinflammatory and dysautonomic disorder ...

(CRPS) in her feet, and competes sitting on a stool. She was, at the time of the 2008 Paralympics, a law student at

, and subsequently achieved first-class honours. She was given an honorary degree of Doctors of Laws from the University of Leicester on Friday 25 January 2013 On 19 September 2013 Leicester University named the Danielle Brown Sports Centre after her. On 22 September 2013 Brown was made a Freewoman of the district of Craven and on 1 July 2014 Brown was given the

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. In 2019, Brown was inducted into the British University and College Sport's Hall of Fame. On 26 May 2022, Brown won the ''Sunday Times'' Children's Sports Book of the Year award for her book ''Run Like a Girl''.

Bibliography

*''Collins GCSE Revision Study Skills'' (2015) *''Be Your Best Self - Life Skills For Unstoppable Kids'' (2019) *''Run Like A Girl - 50 Extraordinary And Inspiring Sportswomen'' (2021) *''One Hundred Reasons To Hope'' (2021), curated on behalf of

Captain Tom Moore Captain (British Army and Royal Marines), Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser. He made international headlines in April 2020 when he raise ...

. *''Girls Rule - 50 Women Who Changed The World'' (2023) *''Shoot for the Stars - A Kickass Guide to Finding Confidence in Sport'' (2025)

Achievements

;2006 :4th, European Para Championships, individual,

;2007 : IPC World Championships, individual,

: IPC World Championships, women's team,

;2008 : World Invitational Disabled Competition, individual,

Summer Paralympics The Summer Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebr ...

, individual, Beijing ;2009 : IPC World Championships, women's team,

: IPC World Championships, individual,

:12th,

Summer Universiade The FISU World University Games, formerly the Universiade, is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The former name is a portmanteau of the words "Universi ...

, individual,

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

;2010 : Arizona Cup, individual,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

: Arizona Cup, mixed team,

: Arizona Cup, women's team,

: World Invitational Disabled Competition, individual,

: European Para Championships, individual,

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

, women's team,

: World Cup, women's team, Shanghai ;2011 : IPC World Championships, individual,

: IPC World Championships, women's team,

: IPC World Championships, mixed team,

;2012 : Nimes Indoor World Cup – able bodied, Nimes, France : Arizona Cup, women's team,

: World Cup, mixed team, Shanghai : 2012 Summer Paralympics, individual, London : World Cup Final – able bodied, individual, Tokyo ;2013 : UK National Series Champion, able-bodied,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

4th World Championships, women's team, able-bodied,

Belek Belek is a neighbourhood in the Serik district in Turkey's Antalya Province. As of 2022, it had a population of 9,102. Before the 2013 Turkish local government reorganization, it was a town (''Belde''). Belek is one of the centers of Turkey' ...

: IPC World Championships, individual,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

: IPC World Championships, mixed team,

;2022 : Children's Sports Book of the Year, Sunday Times Sports Book Awards: Run Like A Girl

References

External links