Former Olympic heptathlon champion Dame Denise Lewis has been elected president of UK Athletics (UKA).
The 51-year-old takes over from former sprinter Jason Gardener, who has held the post since 2015. Dame Denise won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics after securing bronze in Atlanta four years earlier.
And further, former world 1500m silver medallist Hannah England has been named a vice-president while other senior roles went to Tony Shiret and Arwel Williams. Lewis was awarded a damehood in the New Year Honours in recognition of her role as president of Commonwealth Games England and for services to sport.
She has also worked successfully as a pundit and television presenter since retiring as an athlete in 2005. Her medal haul also contains two Commonwealth golds, a European gold and two world silver medals and she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
Following the announcement of the candidates, UKA Chair Ian Beattie said: “I would like to thank all of those who took part in these elections for the UKA Members positions.
“The voting turnout was one of the most engaged in recent years and I believe that is because all those who stood are hugely respected across the sport and any of them could have taken on these roles with success. Congratulations especially however to Denise, Hannah, Tony and Arwel for their successful elections.
“I look forward to working with them in the coming years, and UKA will benefit from the huge range of skills they will bring to the table. We are incredibly grateful to all those members who have completed their terms with us and leave roles for their commitment and service to the sport.
“However, on behalf of the board of UKA I would like to express a further note of appreciation for the work of Jason Gardener. As a former athlete of the highest regard, he stepped seamlessly into a non-executive Board position with UKA in 2008, before becoming UKA President in 2015, completing his terms of service this year, supporting both the Board and UKA Members at a critical time.
“He has served this sport with such dedication both on and off track during a unique period in history for the sport and has truly ‘given back’ on many levels for many years. We shall miss his presence and experience from those meetings but wish him the very best for the future.”
