Lea Haggett

Lea Haggett-Goodman (9 May 1972 - 31 December 2013[1]) was an English high jumper. She represented Great Britain at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and won a bronze medal at the 1990 World Junior Championships in Plovdiv. She held the UK junior record for 23 years, from 1991 to 2014.

Lea Haggett
Haggett in late 1980s
Personal information
Birth nameLea Maureen Haggett
NationalityEnglish
Born(1972-05-09)9 May 1972
Dulwich, London
Died31 December 2013(2013-12-31) (aged 41)
Sport
SportAthletics

Career

Haggett was born in Dulwich, London, England and was a member of the Croydon Harriers Athletics Club.[2] In 1986, she cleared 1.81 metres as a 14-year-old.

In 1990, still only eighteen, Haggett was the UK's number one female high jumper, winning the AAA Championships with a personal best of 1.88 m, defeating Olympic finalist Janet Boyle. A week later at the World Junior Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, she again cleared 1.88 m to win the bronze medal. She would remain the only British woman to win a medal at the World Junior Championships in the high jump until Morgan Lake won gold in 2014. She ended the season by competing at the European Championships in Split. As the only British entrant, she managed 1.80 m and was eliminated in the qualifying round.[3]

Haggett began the 1991 season by improving her personal best to 1.91 m at a meeting in Chania, Greece on 2 June. Although she would not improve on this for the rest of the year, she had another consistent season. Also in June, she won the UK Championships title with 1.85 m. In July, she cleared 1.88 m to finish second at the AAAs Championships behind Debbie Marti. In August, she cleared 1.89 m for fourth at the European Junior Championships in Thessalonika.

In 1992, at the AAAs Championships, incorporating the Olympic trials, Haggett won her second AAAs title with 1.89 m but failed to earn Olympic selection. Her 1.91 m best from the previous year was one centimetre short of the qualifying standard.

After a year out with an injury, Haggett returned in 1994 and earned selection for both the European Championships in Helsinki and the Commonwealth Games in Victoria. At the Europeans, she managed only 1.75 m in qualification. She fared better at the Commonwealth Games, clearing 1.88 m to finish fifth in the final.

In 1995, Haggett was the UK number one for the second time, with a season's best of 1.90 m. At the AAAs Championships, she won on countback ahead of Diana Davies and Debbie Marti, to earn World Championships selection. All three cleared 1.85 m. At the World Championships in Gothenburg, she cleared 1.75 m and was eliminated in qualification.

Haggett earned Olympic selection in 1996 by achieving her lifetime best of 1.92 m at the AAAs Championships (Olympic trials) in Birmingham.[4] She finished second to Debbie Marti who cleared 1.94. At the Atlanta Olympics, although failing to reach the final, she produced her best jump in a major championships with 1.90 m, defeating Marti, who cleared 1.85 m. Haggett and Marti were the last British women to compete in an Olympic high jump competition until Morgan Lake competed in 2016.[5] Atlanta would prove to be Haggett's final major championships.

As of 2015, Haggett's best jump of 1.92 m from 1996 ranks her 11th on the UK all-time list. Her 1.91 m from 1991, when she was 19, stood as the UK junior record for 23 years.[6] Susan Jones equalled the record in 1997 before Morgan Lake broke it in 2014 by clearing 1.93 m.

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionNotes
Representing  Great Britain /  England
1990 World Junior Championships Plovdiv, Bulgaria 3rd 1.88 m
European Championships Split, Yugoslavia 17th (q) 1.75 m
1991 European Junior Championships Thessalonika, Greece 4th 1.89 m
1992 European Indoor Championships Genoa, Italy 18th 1.80 m
1994 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 34th (q) 1.75 m
Commonwealth Games Victoria, Canada 5th 1.88 m
1995 European Cup Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France 6th 1.86 m
World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 35th (q) 1.75 m
1996 European Cup Madrid, Spain 7th 1.84 m
Olympic Games Atlanta, United States 16th (q) 1.90 m
(q) indicates overall position in qualifying round

National titles

References

  1. HAGGETT, LEA MAUREEN, 1972 GRO Reference: DOR Q2/2014 in Kent (564-1Y) Entry Number 510398914
  2. Lea Haggett. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-08.
  3. "Women High Jump Athletics XV European Championships 1990 Split (YUG)". www.todor66.com.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-02-20. Retrieved 2013-11-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-11-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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