Benjamin Arthur Challenger (born 7 March 1978) is a retired English high jumper. His personal best jump of 2.30 metres was achieved when he won the 1999 Summer Universiade. His career highlight is a silver medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 March 1978 Loughborough, Leicestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Lucy Challenger | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, Challenger attended Shepshed High School and later he studied sports science at Loughborough University (a course he later abandoned in favour of full-time high jump training).[1] As a youth he considered a career in basketball, and toured the US with the Leicester Riders, leading to offers from NBA talent scouts acting for US universities, which he turned down.
He is the son of the Showaddywaddy drummer, Romeo Challenger, and the brother of singer Tamzin Challenger.[2]
Challenger is married to recruitment consultant and fitness instructor Lucy.[3] Together they run Studio Challenger in Berkshire, a pilates school.[4]
Competition record
edit| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Great Britain and  England
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| 1996 | World Junior Championships | Sydney, Australia | 2nd | 2.21 m | |
| 1997 | European Junior Championships | Ljubljana, Slovenia | 2nd | 2.20 m | |
| Universiade | Catania, Italy | 11th | 2.10 m | ||
| 1998 | European Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 10th | 2.22 m | |
| Commonwealth Games | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 2nd | 2.28 m | ||
| 1999 | Universiade | Palma de Mallorca, Spain | 1st | 2.30 m | |
| European U23 Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 1st | 2.30 m | ||
| World Championships | Seville, Spain | 25th (q) | 2.20 m | ||
| 2000 | European Indoor Championships | Ghent, Belgium | 14th (q) | 2.16 m | |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 17th (q) | 2.20 m | |
| 2002 | Commonwealth Games | Manchester, United Kingdom | 3rd | 2.25 m | |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 16th (q) | 2.15 m | ||
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 14th (q) | 2.24 m | |
| 2006 | Commonwealth Games | Melbourne, Australia | 8th | 2.15 m | |
References
edit- ^ "Interview: Ben Challenger | Special reports". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "ADVER CHAT; Romeo Challenger on life with Showaddywaddy".
- ^ Deaconu, Adrian. "About". Lucychallener.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "Pilates: Personal Trainer & Coach - Studio Challenger". Studiochallenger.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
