 Greene at the2010 European Athletics Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | British (Welsh) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-04-11)11 April 1986 (age 39)[1] Llanelli, Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 400 m,400 m hurdles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Swansea Harriers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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David "Dai" Greene (born 11 April 1986) is a Welsh retiredhurdler who specialised in the400 metres hurdles, competing internationally for bothWales andGreat Britain, as well as Europe in the IAAF Intercontinental Cup.
In a 'golden' sixteen-month period between 2010 and 2011, Greene dominated his event at international level, winning every international title available in that period: he won the World, European,Diamond League and (for Wales) the Commonwealth Games titles in quick succession, in addition to winning the event as part of both the European Team Championships for Great Britain and the IAAF Continental Cup for Europe. Hindered by a knee injury in late 2011, Greene managed to finish in 4th at the2012 Summer Olympics, but the same injury persisted thereafter and prevented him from being competitive again at the highest global level.
He is the second fastest British man over the 400 m hurdles, behind theBritish record holder,Kriss Akabusi and has captained the Great Britain team in several championships.
Born inLlanelli nearFelinfoel,[2] Greene showed an aptitude for sport while attending Pen-y-gaer primary school.[3] Inspired to follow his heroRyan Giggs, he began practising football skills with his left foot.[4] When aged 13, while attendingCoedcae School, he joined the youth team set-up atSwansea City, playing left wing, and once scored a penalty against aBarcelona youth side. Turning down a contract to turn professional as a footballer aged 16,[4] he continued his studies while still playing youth football for Manchester City youth side. After contractingOsgood-Schlatter disease during a growth spurt, he decided to give up football in his late teens for athletics, and he still runs to this day forSwansea Harriers Athletics Club. Aged 17, Greene was diagnosed withepilepsy, and continues to manage the condition today by avoiding late nights and alcohol, the main diagnosed triggers of his seizures.[1] Greene is an ambassador for the charity Young Epilepsy.[5]
Moving toCardiff to be coached by Benke Blomqvist, Greene had his first success on the junior athletics circuit in 2005. He won the silver medal at the2005 European Athletics Junior Championships, finishing with a personal best time of 51.14 seconds. The following year he competed in his first senior tournament, the2006 European Athletics Championships, but he failed to progress beyond the heats with a run of 50.66 seconds.[6] His age-group success continued, however, as he won the gold medal at the 2007European Athletics U23 Championships with a new best of 49.58 seconds. He beat FrenchmanFadil Bellaabouss by a narrow margin to mark an impressive return, following an ankle injury which had ruled him out for six weeks of the season.[7]
After his coach Blomqvist decided to return to Sweden for family reasons, from 2009 Greene moved to theUniversity of Bath, to allow him to train under coachMalcolm Arnold,[8] supported by theWells Sports Foundation.[9] He was later joined by fellow Welsh 400 m hurdlerRhys Williams, who became his training partner.
The 2009 outdoor season saw Greene making his first impact on the senior circuit. In June he set a meet record and a new personal best of 48.62 seconds to win the 400 m hurdles at theJosef Odlozil Memorial in Prague. This was a significant improvement from his 2008 best of 49.58 seconds and made him top of the European rankings for the first time.[10] Competing forTeam GB at the2009 World Championships, Greene won his heat with a strong first round performance of 48.76 seconds. He followed this with a new personal best in the semi-finals, finishing in 48.27 seconds to take second place behindBershawn Jackson.[11] He finished 7th in the final of the men's 400 m hurdles, and received a silver medal for the 4 × 400 m relay, despite only running in the semi-final, being replaced in the final byMichael Bingham.
On 31 July 2010, he won theGold Medal in the 400 m hurdles at theEuropean Athletics Championships in Barcelona, with fellow WelshmanRhys Williams getting thesilver.[12] On 10 October 2010, Greene won the gold medal in theCommonwealth Games inDelhi.[13]
On 1 September 2011, at the World Athletics Championships inDaegu,South Korea, Greene won the gold medal, overtaking a strong field in the final straight.[9]
In 2011 Greene was named an Ambassador for the Jaguar Academy of Sport.[14]
At the Diamond League event in Paris on 6 July 2012, Greene ran a personal best of 47.84 secs in finishing second toJavier Culson to move even closer to the British record in the 400 m hurdles. Greene was selected to captain the Great Britain athletics team for the2012 London Olympics, as one of the favourites for a medal.[15] In the first round of the400 m hurdles Greene won his heat in 48.98s, the fastest time of round. In the semi-finals Greene ran sluggishly, finishing fourth and only qualifying for the final as a fastest loser.[16] In the final Greene finished fourth behind 2004 Olympic championFélix Sánchez, surprise AmericanMichael Tinsley andJavier Culson, running slower than he had in the semi-final. Post-race Greene admitted huge disappointment, and blamed disruption to his training caused by a knee injury in the winter.[17] Greene also ran in the final of the4 × 400 metres relay, as the British team finished fourth, just 0.13 seconds off a medal.
Greene's injury problems continued throughout 2013 and 2014, interrupting his training regime and preventing him from successfully defending his 2011 World crown inMoscow where Greene was eliminated in the semi-final.[18] An attempt to retain his Commonwealth title also ended in the semi-finals, while running nearly two seconds outside his personal best. Greene resultantly withdrew himself from consideration for the2014 European Athletics Championships, because of lack of form and a failure to make the agreed qualification time.[19]
In light of further injury issues, which resulted in him missing the2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, in November 2016 Greene was stripped of hisUK National Lottery funding byUK Athletics, and hence omitted from UKA's world-class performance programme from 2017 onwards.[20] Despite this further setback, Greene continued to train through 2017. Free of injury for the first time in several years, Greene began returning to form through 2018, culminating in winning the British championships in July of that year, sealing qualification for both the2018 European Athletics Championships, and the inauguralAthletics World Cup.[21]
Greene announced his retirement from athletics on 19 July 2024.[22][23]
| Event | Best | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 metres | 45.82 s | Birmingham, England | 31 July 2011 |
| 400 metres hurdles | 47.84 s | Paris, France | 6 July 2012 |
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Commonwealth Games champions in men's400 metres hurdles | |
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| 440 yards hurdles (1930–1966) | |
| 400 metres hurdles (1970–present) |
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European Athletics Championships champions in men's400 metres hurdles | |
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