 Henry at the2013 European Junior Championships | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1995-08-26)26 August 1995 (age 29) |
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 100 metres,200 meters and400 meters |
| Coached by | Mike MacFarlane |
Medal record | |
Desirèe Henry (born 26 August 1995) is a British sprinter who competes in the100 metres and200 metres. She won an Olympic silver medal in the women's 4 x 100 metres relay at the2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the2016 Rio Games, and a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the2017 World Athletics Championships in London.
Henry was born on 26 August 1995 inEdmonton, London. She attended Highfield Primary School andSt Anne's Catholic High School. She is of Antiguan and Guyanese descent.[1]
Henry is the2011 World Youth Champion in the200 meters. Her personal bests are 11.06 for the100 meters, 22.46 for the200 meters and 52.27 in the400 meters all set in 2016.[2]
Henry was one of seven young people who lit theOlympic cauldron at theLondon 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. All were nominated by famous British Olympians, with Henry being nominated by decathleteDaley Thompson.[3]
She ran the anchor leg as Great Britain won the 4x100 metres relay at the2014 European Championships in Zurich.[4]
Henry improved her personal bests in 2016 to 11.06 in the100 meters and 22.46 in the200 meters and earned selection for the Rio Olympics. She began sprinting over400 meters in 2015 but soon returned to shorter distances. In Rio, she reached the semifinals of the 100 metres, running 11.09, having run 11.08 in her heat. She went on to win a bronze medal in the sprint relay, setting a new British record of 41.77, along with her teammatesAsha Philip,Dina Asher-Smith andDaryll Neita.[5]
She won a silver medal as part of the 4x100 metres relay team at the2017 World Athletics Championships in London[6] and gold in the same event at the2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.[7]
On 5 July 2024, Henry was named in the British 4x100 metres relay squad for theParis Olympics.[8] She won a silver medal in the event, having run on the last leg in the heats.[9]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Great Britain | |||||
| 2011 | World Youth Championships | Lille, France | 1st | 200 m | 23.25 |
| 2012 | World Junior Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 4th | 200 m | 23.34 |
| 2013 | European Junior Championships | Rieti, Italy | 2nd | 200 m | 23.56 |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m | 43.81 | |||
| 2014 | World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 2nd | 4 × 200 m | 1:29.61 |
| World Junior Championships | Eugene, Oregon, United States | 4th | 100m | 11.56(wind: -1.0 m/s) | |
| — | 4 × 100 m | DNF | |||
| European Championships | Zürich, Switzerland | 7th | 100 m | 11.43 (11.21) | |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m | 42.24 | |||
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 4th | 4 × 100 m | 42.10 |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2nd (sf) | 100 m | 11.091 |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 12th (sf) | 100 m | 11.09 | |
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m | 41.77 | |||
| 2017 | World Championships | London,United Kingdom | 18th (sf) | 100 m | 11.24 |
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m | 42.12 | |||
| 2019 | World Relays | Yokohama, Japan | – | 4 × 100 m | DNF |
| 2024 | European Championships | Rome,Italy | 1st | 4 × 100 m | 41.91 |
| Olympic Games | Paris, France | 2nd (h) | 4 × 100 m relay | 42.03 | |
Note: Results in brackets indicate superior time achieved in qualifying rounds.
1Did not finish in the final
| Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Final Olympic torchbearer (with Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, andAdelle Tracey) London 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Final Summer Olympic torchbearer (with Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, andAdelle Tracey) London 2012 | Succeeded by |
