Ed Dunford

Event: Decathlon

DOB: 15 September 1984

Born: Leamington Spa

 Lives: Kings Heath

 Coach: Eddy Dunford (father)

 

National Championships

2006-7 England Combined Events silver medal,

2008 England Indoor CE gold medal

 

Personal Best Performances

Decathlon 7,734 points (2007),

100m 11.07 (2007) 10.95w (2007),

400m 49.99 (2007), 1500m 4.47.69 (2007),

110mh 13.99w (2007)14.21 (2007),

HJ 2.05i (2008), 2.01 (2007) 2.05i (2008),

PV 4.25 (2007),

LJ 7.02 (2006),

SP 14.80 (2005) 14.95i (2008), DT 44.54 (2005),

JT 59.93 (2007)

 

Career summary

Ed who describes the highlight of his Birchfield Harriers career as “being chosen to do eight events in one league meeting” is a talented decathlete who demonstrated an all round ability at an early age. Born in the same year his hero Daley Thompson won the Olympic Decathlon in Los Angeles, he won a record nine English Schools titles as a schoolboy.  He is a sports management graduate from Birmingham University and is currently in full time training. As a form of relaxation he loves racing computer games, particularly Gran Turismo.

 

What are your targets for 2009 and then on to 2012?

My targets for 2009 are to keep fit after returning from injury and to increase my training to enable me to be back on schedule to achieve my goal of over 8000 points. I hope to improve every year and get into more world competitions i.e. World Championships, Commonwealth Games, European Championships etc.

 

What motivated you to take up the sport of athletics and what keeps that motivation going?

I enjoyed wining from an early age and wanted to jump higher, run faster, or throw further. I love the decathlon because I can gain personal best performances (PB’s) in a possible 10 events.

 

Who has most influenced your athletics career so far and why?

My family, they have always encouraged and supported me ever since I first started.

 

Your biggest hero?

Daley Thompson.

 

What does the sponsorship / support of AGA mean to you?

Doing 10 events is very expensive as I have travelling expenses, equipment to buy, including various types of shoes and spikes, as well as the general cost living. The support provided by AGA will assist athletes like me to meet part of this cost.

 

What has to date been your highlight as a member of Birchfield Harriers?

Being chosen to do eight events in one day at a league meeting. Also it is an honour and a pleasure being a member of one of the top athletic clubs in the world.

 

What else could a higher level of funding do to help your athletics career?

A higher level of funding would help all athletes as they are required to train most days to reach the standards required to make a career out of it. Training for 10 events is a full time job.