Gillian Cooke
Encyclopedia
Gillian Cooke is a Scottish
athlete and bobsledder.
Gillian Cooke was born and brought up in Edinburgh
. Educated at George Watson's College
, she began her sporting career in track and field with Edinburgh Southern Harriers. In 2001, she took 4th place in the triple jump
at the Commonwealth Youth Games
, and set a Scottish junior record for the pole vault
. She set three Scottish senior pole vault records in two months in 2002, and was selected to represent Scotland in that event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester.
In 2003, she also began competing in the long jump, and took the silver medal at the AAA championships. She began concentrating on the long jump in 2004, earning GB selection in that event in 2005. She represented Scotland in the long jump at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne, finishing 11th She also topped the Scottish 100m sprint rankings and British 60m rankings
Following a foot injury which delayed her track and field training, Cooke joined driver Nicola Minichiello in the two-woman bobsleigh as brakewoman following a trial in October 2008. Minichello and Cooke won the gold medal in the two-woman event at the FIBT World Championships 2009
in Lake Placid, New York
. The pair finished seventh at the same event in 2010, despite some difficulty with Cooke's prototype racing suit. At the 2010 Winter Olympics
, they crashed out during the third run of the two-woman event and did not start the final run as a result.
Gillian suffered an embarrassing incident at the 2010 World Cup Race in St Moritz when her outfit split open seconds before the start of her bobsleigh run.
Cooke's brother Stephen Cooke is a semi-professional footballer and has played for Elgin City.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
athlete and bobsledder.
Gillian Cooke was born and brought up in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Educated at George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
, she began her sporting career in track and field with Edinburgh Southern Harriers. In 2001, she took 4th place in the triple jump
Triple 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...
at the Commonwealth Youth Games
Commonwealth Youth Games
The Commonwealth Youth Games are a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, designed for the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries.-History:...
, and set a Scottish junior record for the 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...
. She set three Scottish senior pole vault records in two months in 2002, and was selected to represent Scotland in that event at 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...
in Manchester.
In 2003, she also began competing in the long jump, and took the silver medal at the AAA championships. She began concentrating on the long jump in 2004, earning GB selection in that event in 2005. She represented Scotland in the long jump 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...
in Melbourne, finishing 11th She also topped the Scottish 100m sprint rankings and British 60m rankings
Following a foot injury which delayed her track and field training, Cooke joined driver Nicola Minichiello in the two-woman bobsleigh as brakewoman following a trial in October 2008. Minichello and Cooke won the gold medal in the two-woman event at the FIBT World Championships 2009
FIBT World Championships 2009
The FIBT World Championships 2009, officially known as the Bauhaus FIBT Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships, 20 February to 1 March 2009 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Lake Placid, New York for the ninth time, doing so previously in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1997 , and...
in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. The pair finished seventh at the same event in 2010, despite some difficulty with Cooke's prototype racing suit. At the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 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...
, they crashed out during the third run of the two-woman event and did not start the final run as a result.
Gillian suffered an embarrassing incident at the 2010 World Cup Race in St Moritz when her outfit split open seconds before the start of her bobsleigh run.
Cooke's brother Stephen Cooke is a semi-professional footballer and has played for Elgin City.