Christina Tracy Boxer-Cahill (born 25 March 1957) is a retired female
middle distance athlete from England. She represented Great Britain at three
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, in
Moscow 1980
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
,
Los Angeles 1984
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
and
Seoul 1988
The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
and trained at
Aldershot, Farnham & District AC. In Seoul, she finished fourth in the 1500 metres final. She also won a gold medal in the 1500 m at the
1982 Commonwealth Games
The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the a ...
. In 1979, she became the first British woman in history to run the 800 metres in under two-minutes.
Education
Yateley School
Yateley School is the largest secondary school in North East Hampshire. The school teaches over 1500 students aged 11 – 16, and the attached sixth form college caters for ages 16–18. The school had its latest Ofsted Report in 2018, where th ...
/
Farnborough College (1968–1976);
Loughborough University
Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...
(1979–1983);
Chichester University
, mottoeng = By teaching, we learn
, type = public university, Public
, established = 2005
, administrative_staff = 600
, vice_chancellor = Jane Longmore
, city = Chichester, West Sussex
, country ...
(2003–2004)
Career
Boxer was born in
Northolt
Northolt is a town in West London, England, spread across both sides of the A40 trunk road. It is west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the seven major towns that make up the London Borough of Ealing. It had a population of 30,304 at ...
, Middlesex, England and was a member of Aldershot, Farnham & District Athletics Club and later Gateshead Harriers & AC. In 1971, she won the Under 15 English National Cross Country Championships. She won the first of 11
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 ...
and
UK Championship
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican Centre, York. Ronnie O'Sullivan h ...
titles in 1977, winning the AAAs National 800 metres title in 2:03.78.
In August 1979, Boxer became the first British woman to run 800 metres in under two minutes, with a time of 1:59.05 in Turin. She still remains one of only three British woman, along with
Kirsty Wade
Kirsty Wade (née McDermott, born 6 August 1962) is a British former middle-distance runner. She is a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist representing Wales, winning the 800 metres in Brisbane 1982 and both the 800 metres and 1500 me ...
and
Hannah England
Hannah England (born 6 March 1987) is a British middle-distance running athlete who specialised in the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run. At 1500 m, she is the 2011 World Championship silver medallist and finished fourth at the 2013 World C ...
, to have broken both two minutes for 800 metres and nine minutes for
3000 metres
The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track.
It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...
. She gained a BSc in Physical Education and Sport Science and a PGCE in PE & Biology at Loughborough University between 1979–1983. During this time, she competed at her first
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in
Moscow 1980
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
, reaching the semi-finals of the 800 m. In 1982, she won the gold medal in the women's 1500 m event at the
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
.
On 6 July 1984, Boxer achieved her career best of 4:00.57 in the 1500 m at Gateshead, to break Christine Benning's five-year-old British record. A month later, at the
Los Angeles Olympics, she finished 6th in the 1500 m final with 4:05.53. She ended the season running a career best time in the mile, with 4:22.64 in London. Although she lost her British 1500 m record to
Zola Budd
Zola Budd (also known as Zola Pieterse; born 26 May 1966) is a South African middle-distance and long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain and the 1992 Olympic Games for South Africa, both times in the 30 ...
, who ran 3:59.96 in Brussels, Boxer had another fine season in 1985. She ran her best ever time in the 3000 m, with 8:49.89 at the Crystal Palace and finished second in the 1500 m at the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
in Moscow, behind Raviliya Agletdinova of the Soviet Union.
After a disappointing couple of years, Boxer returned to top form in 1988. Competing at her third
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, (under her then married name of Cahill), she finished 4th in the 1500 m final, with her best time for four years, 4:00.64. She was beaten into bronze by
Tetyana Samolenko, who was later banned for
taking performance-enhancing drugs. She was the fifth fastest woman in the world in 1988 at 1500m.
In 1990, Boxer won a
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
silver medal in the 1500 m behind Canada's
Angela Chalmers
Angela Chalmers (born September 6, 1963) is a Canadian retired track and field athlete who competed in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres. She is the 1992 Olympic bronze medallist in the 3000 metres, and a three-time Commonwealth gold medallist, wi ...
. In 1992, she competed at the UK Olympic trials in Birmingham but missed out on selection for a fourth consecutive Olympic Games in Barcelona. She retired as an international athlete later that year.
As of 2021, Boxer still ranks in the UK all-time top ten at 1500 m and the mile. She ranks ninth in the 1500 m (4:00.57) and eighth in the mile (4:22.64). In the 800 m, she ranks 16th (1:59.05).
Later career
After her retirement she worked as a Sport, Physical Activity & Education Consultant leading national projects involving health-activity and sport retention programmes, while also coaching worldclass senior and junior athletes including
Jo Pavey
Joanne Marie Pavey Order of the British Empire, MBE (née Davis, born 20 September 1973) is a British long-distance runner and a World, European and Commonwealth medallist. She won the 10,000 m gold medal at the 2014 European Athletics Ch ...
, whom she helped return from serious injury to make her first ever Olympics in 2000 at 5,000m and Charlotte Moore who became the first British junior woman to break 2 minutes at 800m, setting a UK junior record of 1.59.75 when finishing 6th in the 2002 Commonwealth Games and gained a silver medal at the European Junior Championships in 2003.
Boxer was also a reporter for
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
's athletics coverage from 1996–2001, providing track-side interviews at major events including the Commonwealth Games, World Track & Cross Country Championships and the
Sydney Olympic Games
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
. She became a middle distance Team GB coach during the early – mid 2000s.
Boxer continued to combine consultancy work with formal employment contracts and project management and has held honorary positions promoting sport and coaching. She was board director of sportscoachUK from 1998–2007, a sporting patron of the Youth Sport Trust from 1992–2006 and a London2012 Olympic and Paralympic Ambassador in the West Midlands from 2009–2012. After completing a MSc in Sport & Exercise Psychology and a Diploma in Behavioural Coaching she became Course Leader of BSc in Sports Coaching Science and Senior Lecturer (Coaching with PE & Sport Development) at the University of Worcester before being appointed Director of Girl's Sport/Sport Development at
Malvern College
Malvern College is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school in the British sen ...
in 2008. In 2011, she became Sports Development Manager at the
University of Birmingham
, mottoeng = Through efforts to heights
, established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
managing staff and programmes involving Coaching, Club Development, Participation and Volunteering. and was also appointed Chair of the Birmingham Athletic Network.
Sport Development Manager appointed new chair of Birmingham Athletics Network
. www.sport.bham.ac.uk. 20 June 2011. From 2014-2016 Christina worked as Director of Sport and Community Development at Queen Anne's School in Caversham before returning to the West Midlands, developing sport across the full spectrum from health-related fitness through to performance team and individual sports.
In 2018 she was working for Warwick District Council
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whit ...
helping them to prepare for the 2022 Commonwealth Games
The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...
. Whilst the games will primarily be held in Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, the bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
events will take place in Victoria Park, Leamington Spa
Victoria Park is a public park in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England. It is situated about half a mile (800 m) west of the town centre and is on the south bank of the River Leam. The total area of the park as it stands today is .
History & Fe ...
, the town which houses Bowls England
Bowls England governs the game of flat green outdoor bowls for men and women in England. It was formed on 1 January 2008 following a merger of the English Bowling Association and the English Women's Bowling Association.
The English Bowling Asso ...
and hosts the national bowling championships annually.
Achievements
*5 Times AAAs National Champion – 800 m (1977, 1978) 1500 m (1982, 1988, 1990)
*5 Times UK National Champion – 800 m (1979, 1980, 1984, 1988) 1500 m (1986)
*AAAs Indoor Champion – 1500 m (1992)
References
External links
*
Sunday Times article 16 August, 2009
www.gbrathletics.com.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boxer, Christina
People associated with the University of Birmingham
Alumni of Loughborough University
1957 births
Living people
English female middle-distance runners
Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes of Great Britain
Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Academics of the University of Worcester
Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games