| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | British (English) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1958-10-18)18 October 1958 (age 67) Scraptoft, Leicestershire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | pentathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Shrewsbury & District AC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Yvette Julie Luker (néeWray, born 18 October 1958) is a female English formerpentathlete,hurdler andsprinter. she competed forGreat Britain at theOlympic Games inMoscow 1980. She also represented England at theCommonwealth Games in 1978 and 1982, winning two bronze medals.
Born inScraptoft, Leicestershire, Wray at the age of 19, competed internationally for the first time at the1978 Commonwealth Games and achieved immediate success, earning the bronze medal in thePentathlon with a score of 4211 points.[1] She competed later in the year at theEuropean Athletics Championships, finishing 15th in the Pentathlon, although later disqualifications to other competitors due todoping violations promoted her to 13th place.[2]
In 1979 Wray participated in theSummer Universiade and helped the British 4 × 100 m relay team achieve a silver medal, narrowly behind theSoviet Union team. Her performances internationally and domestically earned her a place in the Pentathlon at the1980 Summer Olympics, where she finished 16th with 4159 points, one place behind fellow British pentathleteSue Longden.[3]
Wray competed in the50 metre hurdles at the1981 European Athletics Indoor Championships, but failed to progress beyond the semifinals. Later in the year however, Wray performed strongly at theUniversiade, helping the British team to 4 × 100 m relay silver once again, just 0.2 s behind theUnited States team.[4]
At the1982 Commonwealth Games, Wray earned her second Commonwealth bronze medal, this time in the400 m hurdles.[5] She also contributed to the English4 × 400 m relay team, but a mistake in her baton changeover withGladys Taylor dropped England out of medal contention and they could only finish 4th.[6] Later in the year Wray participated in theEuropean Athletics Championships 400 m hurdles, where she was eliminated in the heats.
During her final year of international competition, Wray representedEngland, at the1986 Commonwealth Games inEdinburgh, Scotland competing in the1986 Commonwealth Games 400 m hurdles, reaching the final and finishing in 5th place.[7][8][9] Her last international event was at the1986 European Athletics Championships in the400 m hurdles, but she failed to progress beyond the heats.
Throughout her career Wray achieved a lot of national success, particularly at theWAAA Championships where she won threeBritish 400 m hurdles titles (1983[10] 1985, 1986) and one 2nd-place finish (1982).[11][12] She also claimed a 1st and two 2nd-place finishes in the pentathlon between 1977 and 1980, and a 2nd and 3rd-place finish in the 100 m hurdles in 1980 and 1978 respectively.[13] At the Indoor AAA Championships Wray was dominant at the 60 m hurdles, taking the title from 1980 to 1982, as well as finishing second in 1979 and 1983. She also achieved a 2nd-place finish at the 400 metre sprint in 1984.[14]
At theUK Athletics Championships, Wray won the 400 m hurdle title in 1986, to add the 3rd-place finish she had achieved in 1982. She also came 2nd in the 1979 100 m hurdles.[15]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing | |||||
| 1978 | European Championships | Prague, Czech Republic | 13th | Pentathlon | 4103 pts |
| 1979 | Universiade | Mexico City, Mexico | 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 43.26 |
| 1980 | Olympic Games | Moscow, Russia | 16th | Pentathlon | 4159 pts |
| 1981 | European Indoor Championships | Grenoble, France | Semifinal | 50 m hurdles | 7.03 |
| Universiade | Bucharest, Romania | 2nd | 4 × 100 m | 43.86 | |
| 1982 | European Championships | Athens, Greece | Heats | 400 m hurdles | 57.81 |
| 1986 | European Championships | Stuttgart, West Germany | Heats | 400 m hurdles | 57.89 |
| Representing | |||||
| 1978 | Commonwealth Games | Edmonton, Canada | 3rd | Pentathlon | 4211 pts |
| 1982 | Commonwealth Games | Brisbane, Australia | 3rd | 400 m hurdles | 57.17 |
| 4th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:35.35 | |||
| 1986 | Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh,United Kingdom | 5th | 400 m hurdles | 57.59 |