Dean Macey
Encyclopedia
Dean Macey is an English
athlete from Canvey Island
. He is best known for competing in the decathlon
, which he did from 1995 to 2008, winning World Championship
and Commonwealth Games
medals, as well as twice finishing fourth in the Olympic Games
. He has competed in the bobsleigh
since 2008.
He is a keen angler
and has presented a series "On Coarse" for the Discovery Channel
. He has also set a record time (0:56) on the Total Wipeout
Qualifier.
er but graduated up through the octathlon
to settle on the decathlon. He was also on the books of Arsenal
as a youngster but gave up football
to train for the World Junior Championships in 1995. Macey's major breakthrough was when he won silver medal
at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics
in the Olympic Stadium, Seville
, Spain
with a personal best of 8556 points finishing behind gold medal
list Tomáš Dvořák
of the Czech Republic
. Macey was the inaugural winner of BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality
in 1999.
The following year at the 2000 Summer Olympics
, Sydney
, Australia
, after an injury
ravaged year, Macey recorded another personal best score of 8567 points but could only finish fourth. The title was won by Estonia
n, Erki Nool
but only after an appeal when earlier in the day the referee over ruled his field judges and ruled out Erki's discus throw
of 43.66 metres. The appeal was successful and the Estonian took gold ahead of the Czech, Roman Šebrle
and American Chris Huffins
.
Macey was back amongst the medals at the 2001 World Championships
in the Commonwealth Stadium
, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
, improving on his personal best yet again, with 8603 points finishing with the bronze medal
, once again behind Tomáš Dvořák (gold medal), and Erki Nool (silver medal).
Injuries forced Macey to miss the 2002 Commonwealth Games
, held at the City of Manchester Stadium
, Manchester
, England
and all other major competitions until making his comeback at Hexham
, England, July 2004.
His score in Hexham of 7842 points was, purposely, just enough to meet the B qualifying standard of 7700 for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games
.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
, Greece
Dean performed well, in view of the recent years away from competition, but with a possible medal in his grasp, a below par pole vault
and javelin throw
once again left him in fourth place at an Olympic competition behind Roman Šebrle
(gold) and Bryan Clay
(silver).
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
, despite still nursing some injuries, Macey led after the first day with a personal best of 15.83 metres in the last round of the shot put
. Over the course of the second day, that gap was reduced and overhauled by the Australian Australian Jason Dudley because of injury-hampered performances in the 110 m hurdles and the javelin
. Going into the final event, the 1500 metres
, Macey needed to score 38 points more than Dudley to claim gold. He completed the event in 4:34.22, which gave him the gold medal by 69 points. Dean finished with a total of 8,143 points, ahead of Dudley (silver) and the Jamaica
n Maurice Smith (bronze).
In 2008 after a failure to reach the B Qualifying standard for the 2008 Olympic Games, at the Hexham International Combined Events Meeting, Macey admitted that he was considering his future. Young decathlete Daniel Awde
was selected for the Olympics. On July 15, he decided to retire from athletics. Macey wrote a regular Olympic column in the Southend Echo newspaper entitled "Deano's Diary" in which he shared his views on the Beijing Games.
In 2009, Dean Macey completed the Mens Health Survival of the Fittest 10km run in Edinburgh, Scotland, recording a time in excess of 1 hour 15 minutes.
Winter Olympics, in the bobsleigh
. He trained with former sprinter Jason Gardener
. The pair finished sixth in the two-man event at the 2008 British Bobsleigh Championships held in Cesana Pariol
, Italy.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
athlete from Canvey Island
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
. He is best known for competing in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
, which he did from 1995 to 2008, winning World Championship
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
and Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
medals, as well as twice finishing fourth in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. He has competed in the bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
since 2008.
He is a keen angler
Angler
Angler may refer to:* A fisherman who uses the fishing technique of angling*Angler * The angler, Lophius piscatorius, a monkfish* More generally, any anglerfish in the order Lophiiformes* Angler , a Marvel Comics supervillain...
and has presented a series "On Coarse" for the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. He has also set a record time (0:56) on the Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on 3 January 2009. Each week 20 contestants compete in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challenges are based in large pools of water or mud and generally involve large...
Qualifier.
Track and Field Career
Dean started out in athletics as a triple jumpTriple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
er but graduated up through the octathlon
Octathlon
An octathlon is a multisport competition consisting of eight different sports or contests.-Track and field:An octathlon in athletics is an event which consists of eight track and field events. The most common version of the combined event is contested by boys at youth level, most notably at the...
to settle on the decathlon. He was also on the books of Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
as a youngster but gave up football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
to train for the World Junior Championships in 1995. Macey's major breakthrough was when he won silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics
1999 World Championships in Athletics
The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....
in the Olympic Stadium, Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with a personal best of 8556 points finishing behind gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
list Tomáš Dvořák
Tomáš Dvorák
Tomáš Dvořák is an athlete from the Czech Republic. He competed in decathlon and heptathlon for the team Dukla Prague. He is triple decathlon world champion and a former world record holder , which is still second performance in all-time list...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Macey was the inaugural winner of BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality
The BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award is presented at the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony. It is awarded to the sportsperson aged 16 or under as of 1 January of that year, who has made the most outstanding contribution to sport in that year. Nominees are...
in 1999.
The following year at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, after an injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
ravaged year, Macey recorded another personal best score of 8567 points but could only finish fourth. The title was won by Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n, Erki Nool
Erki Nool
Erki Nool is an Estonian decathlete and politician.Nool is a winner of the gold medal for Decathlon in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Although Nool did not place first in any individual event, his total score was the highest...
but only after an appeal when earlier in the day the referee over ruled his field judges and ruled out Erki's discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
of 43.66 metres. The appeal was successful and the Estonian took gold ahead of the Czech, Roman Šebrle
Roman Šebrle
Roman Šebrle is an athlete from the Czech Republic. He is considered to be one of the best decathlon athletes of all time. Originally a high jumper, he competes in decathlon and heptathlon for team TJ Dukla Praha and is a world record holder in the decathlon...
and American Chris Huffins
Chris Huffins
Chris Huffins is an athlete from the United States who competed in the field of Decathlon. He was the Director and Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country programs at the University of California from 2002 to 2007. He married Monique Parker in 1997. He earned a...
.
Macey was back amongst the medals at the 2001 World Championships
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
in the Commonwealth Stadium
Commonwealth Stadium (Edmonton)
Commonwealth Stadium is a sports stadium located in the Norwood Area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, primarily used by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton.- History :...
, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, improving on his personal best yet again, with 8603 points finishing with the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
, once again behind Tomáš Dvořák (gold medal), and Erki Nool (silver medal).
Injuries forced Macey to miss the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
, held at the City of Manchester Stadium
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and all other major competitions until making his comeback at Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
, England, July 2004.
His score in Hexham of 7842 points was, purposely, just enough to meet the B qualifying standard of 7700 for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's Decathlon
The Decathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium on August 23 and August 24....
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Dean performed well, in view of the recent years away from competition, but with a possible medal in his grasp, a below par pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
and javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
once again left him in fourth place at an Olympic competition behind Roman Šebrle
Roman Šebrle
Roman Šebrle is an athlete from the Czech Republic. He is considered to be one of the best decathlon athletes of all time. Originally a high jumper, he competes in decathlon and heptathlon for team TJ Dukla Praha and is a world record holder in the decathlon...
(gold) and Bryan Clay
Bryan Clay
Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay is an American decathlete. He is the reigning Olympic champion for the decathlon and was also World champion in 2005.-Biography:...
(silver).
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
, despite still nursing some injuries, Macey led after the first day with a personal best of 15.83 metres in the last round of the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
. Over the course of the second day, that gap was reduced and overhauled by the Australian Australian Jason Dudley because of injury-hampered performances in the 110 m hurdles and the javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
. Going into the final event, the 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
, Macey needed to score 38 points more than Dudley to claim gold. He completed the event in 4:34.22, which gave him the gold medal by 69 points. Dean finished with a total of 8,143 points, ahead of Dudley (silver) and the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n Maurice Smith (bronze).
In 2008 after a failure to reach the B Qualifying standard for the 2008 Olympic Games, at the Hexham International Combined Events Meeting, Macey admitted that he was considering his future. Young decathlete Daniel Awde
Daniel Awde
Daniel Awde is a British decathlete who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.In 2002 Awde, who competes for the Woodford Green with Essex Ladies athletics club, won the bronze medal in the under-15 event at the South of England Indoor Pentathlon competition...
was selected for the Olympics. On July 15, he decided to retire from athletics. Macey wrote a regular Olympic column in the Southend Echo newspaper entitled "Deano's Diary" in which he shared his views on the Beijing Games.
In 2009, Dean Macey completed the Mens Health Survival of the Fittest 10km run in Edinburgh, Scotland, recording a time in excess of 1 hour 15 minutes.
Bobsleigh career
After his retirement from athletics, Macey accepted a challenge to attempt to qualify for the 20102010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
Winter Olympics, in the bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
. He trained with former sprinter Jason Gardener
Jason Gardener
Jason Carl Gardener is a retired British sprint athlete, and former World Indoor Champion. Gardener was educated at Beechen Cliff School and the City of Bath College, and went on to graduate from Bath Spa University.-Athletics career:Gardener started his career at the World Junior Championships in...
. The pair finished sixth in the two-man event at the 2008 British Bobsleigh Championships held in Cesana Pariol
Cesana Pariol
Cesana Pariol was the venue for bobsled, luge and skeleton during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The track, built for the games, is located in Cesana...
, Italy.
External links
- Hexham Combined Events Meeting 2004/2008
- http://www.mtc-uk.com/talent/dean-macey/