Joanne Fenn (née Mersh; born 19 October 1974 in

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

London), attended

Connaught School for Girls Connaught School for Girls is a single-sex girls' secondary school and comprehensive school situated in Leytonstone, London. It educates up to 636 girls between the ages of 11 and 16. In February 2013 it became an academy. History The first s ...

and is an English singer-songwriter and is a former Olympic

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

Sporting career

Fenn was English schools 300m hurdles champion and later competed in the 400-metre hurdles and heptathlon. After a series of injuries she changed to the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

with her breakthrough season in 2002. She was a member of the Wood ford Green with Essex Ladies athletic club. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester she ran her first sub 2-minute performance with 1:59.86 . In 2004 Fenn won the 800m bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary. She also broke the 1000 m British Record before

Kelly Holmes Dame Kelly Holmes (born 19 April 1970) is a retired British middle distance athlete. Holmes specialised in the 800 metres and 1,500 metres events and won gold medals for both distances at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She set Brit ...

regained it later that same year. In the 800m at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

, where Fenn finished fifth in her semi-final and did not qualify for the final. Fenn had a serious knee injury and major operation on a grapefruit-sized cyst in 2006 and split from her longtime coach in late 2007. She then spent time in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , , , ) ; it, Losanna; rm, Losanna. is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and fac ...

to work with Trent Sterling a Canadian middle distance coach with a view to competing in

2008 Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

but she did not qualify and subsequently retired. Fenn is a special speaker for 21st Century Legacy, a charity set up by

David Hemery David Peter Hemery, (born 18 July 1944) is a British former track and field athlete, best known as the winner of the 400 metres hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Early life Hemery was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but ...

as part of the 2012 legacy. In this role she visits schools up and down the country to inspire and engage with children promoting the Be the Best you can Be programme.

Singing career

Fenn began her singing career in a local band, The Business, during her early career and was offered a place on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

talent show

Fame Academy ''Fame Academy'' was a British television talent competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist and part of the international franchise ''Star Academy'' known under va ...

External links

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Olympics bioAthletics links interview with nPower of 10 profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenn, Joanne 1974 births Living people English female middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Great Britain People from Leytonstone World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain Commonwealth Games competitors for England Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games