Elise Thorner (born 16 March 2001) is a British track and field athlete. She finished second in the

3000m steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the ...

at the

2024 British Athletics Championships The 2024 British Athletics Championships (sponsored by Microplus Timing) is the national championships in outdoor track and field for athletes in the United Kingdom, which also served as a qualifying event for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The even ...

and won a bronze medal at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in the mixed team relay.

Early life

From

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

, she attended school at

Millfield Millfield is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) located in Street, Somerset, England. It was founded in 1935. Millfield is a registered charity and is the largest co-educational boarding ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. She won gold in the girls' 1500m steeplechase at the School Games National Finals at Loughborough in 2017. She attended New Mexico University and transferred to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in 2023.

Career

In April 2022, she set a new personal best for the

, running 9:40:98 in California. On 29 April 2022, she set an English U23 record running 9:32.42 at the Payton Jordan Invitational, hosted by Stanford. In June 2022, she finished third in the 3000m steeplechase at the

2022 British Athletics Championships The 2022 British Athletics Championships was the national championships in outdoor track and field for athletes in the United Kingdom, which also served as a qualifying event for the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Background The 2022 Brit ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. She was selected for the a British team for the

2022 European Athletics Championships The 2022 European Athletics Championships were the 25th edition of the European Athletics Championships and were held in Munich, Germany, from 15 to 21 August 2022. They were part of the 2022 European Championships, European Championships, a multi ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. She finished in 14th place in her heat for the Women's 3000 metres steeplechase, in a time of 10:08.46. In April 2023, she won the Brian Clay Invitational 3000m steeplechase in California, running 9:39.39. She finished fourth in the final of the

at the

2023 European Athletics U23 Championships The 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships were the 14th edition of the biennial athletics competition between European athletes under the age of twenty three. The event was organized by European Athletics Association and held from 13–16 Ju ...

Espoo Espoo (, ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately . It is the most populous Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsi ...

in 9:47.85. In April 2024, she went to fourth on the all-time British list for the 3000m steeplechase, running 9:28.49 in California. At the same event, she ran 4:14.55 for the 1500 metres. She qualified for the final of the 3000m steeplechase at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

. In June 2024, she finished runner-up at the 2024

British Athletics Championships The British Athletics Championships is the premier national championship in track and field held in the United Kingdom, and are organised by British Athletics. The event has doubled as the main trials meet for international team selection for maj ...

in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She won a bronze medal for the British team in the mixed relay at the 2024 European Cross Country Championships in

Antalya Antalya is the fifth-most populous city in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Tau ...

, Turkey. In May 2025, she set a new personal best for the 3000 metres steeplechase running 9:17.57 in Los Angeles. On 12th June 2025, she set another new personal best for the 3000 metres steeplechase running 9:15.06 finishing in seventh place in the

2025 Diamond League The 2025 Diamond League is the sixteenth season of the annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by World Athletics. The competition is a revision to the top level athletics series since Diamond League foundation in 2010. Th ...

event at the Oslo Bislett Games. The time moved her to second on the British all-time list.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorner, Elise 2001 births Living people English female middle-distance runners British female middle-distance runners British female steeplechase runners English female steeplechase runners Sportspeople from Bridgwater People educated at Millfield Florida Gators women's track and field athletes 21st-century English sportswomen