_2018.jpg) Courtney-Bryant in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1993-08-30)30 August 1993 (age 32) Poole, England |
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft4+1⁄2 in)[1] |
| Weight | 53 kg (117 lb)[2] |
| Sport | |
| Country | Great Britain & N.I. Wales |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | Middle-,long-distance running |
| Club | Poole AC |
| Coached by | Rob Denmark |
Medal record | |
Melissa Courtney-Bryant (born 30 August 1993)[3] is a Britishmiddle- andlong-distance runner. She won the bronze medal in the1500 metres at the2018 Commonwealth Games and three European indoor medals for the3000 metres; silver at the2025 Championships, and bronze at both at the2019 and2023 European Indoor Championships.
Courtney-Bryant is a two-time British indoor champion.
Born inPoole, Dorset, she initially focused on swimming, but switched to running. She joined Poole Athletic Club and worked under coach Mark Pauley from the age of twelve, as well as her father Mark as more runners joined the club. She credits her partner and fellow athlete,Ashley Bryant, which encouraging her to up her performance after a period of stagnation. After graduating fromBrunel University London with a degree insports psychology, she moved to train atLoughborough in 2017 to work withRob Denmark.[4][2][5]
Courtney made big improvements to her 800 m and 1500 m bests in 2013 and won the latter event at theBUCS Championships indoor and out that year. In the 2014 indoor season, she won the Welsh indoor title and came third at theBritish Indoor Championships. During the 2015 season her 800 m and 1500 m bests were brought down to 2:05.48 and 4:09.74 minutes and she made her international debut at the2015 European Athletics U23 Championships, placing 10th in the 1500 m. Though she was seventh nationally at the2016 British Athletics Championships, she ran a best of 4:07.55 minutes and gained selection for the2016 European Athletics Championships, competing in the first round only.[6] She teamed up withCameron Boyek,Sarah McDonald, andTom Marshall to take the gold medal in the inaugural mixed relay event at the2017 European Cross Country Championships.[7]
After winning the 1500 m British Universities title, she represented Great Britain at the2017 Universiade and placed fifth in the final.[6] That winter, she travelled to train inIten in Kenya.[8] Courtney was chosen to represent Wales at the2018 Commonwealth Games and she won 1500 m bronze medal in a personal best time of 4:03.44 minutes, beaten only byCaster Semenya andBeatrice Chepkoech.[9]
She won the 3000 m event at theKarlsruhe meeting of the2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour with a time of 8:43.36. In March that year, she took bronzeover the same distance at theEuropean Indoor Championships, setting her personal best in the process.
On 24 December 2022, Courtney-Bryant set unofficial parkrun world record of 15 minutes 31 seconds in Poole, slicing six seconds offSamantha Harrison's female best mark.[10]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | European U23 Championships | Tallinn, Estonia | 10th | 1500 m | 4:17.49 |
| 2016 | European Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 18th (h) | 1500 m | 4:18.74 |
| 2017 | Universiade | Taipei, Taiwan | 5th | 1500 m | 4:21.14 |
| European Cross Country Championships | Šamorín, Slovakia | 1st | Mixed relay | 18:24 | |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 3rd | 1500 m | 4:03.44 |
| 9th | 5000 m | 15:46.60 | |||
| European Championships | Berlin, Germany | 5th | 5000 m | 15:04.75 | |
| 2019 | European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 3rd | 3000 mi | 8:38.22 |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 31st (h) | 1500 m | 4:09.07 |
| European Championships | Munich, Germany | 24th (h) | 1500 m | 4:09.11 | |
| 2023 | European Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 3rd | 3000 m i | 8:41.19 |
| World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 12th | 1500 m | 4:03.31 | |
| 2025 | European Indoor Championships | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | 2nd | 3000 m | 8:52.92 |
| World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 34th (h) | 5000 m | 15:27.70 |
