Robert Neil "Rob" Denmark (born 23 November 1968) is a British former middle- and long-distance runner who won a gold medal in the 5000 metres at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, a silver medal in the 5000 metres at the 1994 European Championships, and a bronze medal in the 3000 metres at the 1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships. A two-time Olympian, he finished seventh in the 5000 metres final at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Rob Denmark
Personal information
NationalityEnglish
Born (1968-11-23) 23 November 1968 (age 55)
Billericay, Essex
Sport
SportAthletics
ClubBasildon AC
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
World Indoor Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Seville 3000 m
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1994 Helsinki 5000 m
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 5000 m

Career

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Born in Billericay, Denmark began his international career by winning a bronze medal in the 3000 metres at the 1991 World Indoor Championships. A year later, he achieved his lifetime best in the 5000m with 13:10.24 at the Rome Grand Prix on 9 June, a time that still ranks him sixth on the UK all-time list (as of 2017). Two months later at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he finished seventh in the 5000 metres final. He also finished ninth in the 5000m finals at the 1991 and 1993 World Championships. In 1994, he won a silver medal in the 5000m at the European Championships behind Olympic champion Dieter Baumann, before going on to win the 5000m title at the Commonwealth Games a month later.

Denmark went on to compete at three more World Championships (1995–99), and in the 10,000m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, without reaching the finals. He concluded his international career by competing at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Denmark attended Furtherwick Park School,[1] on Canvey Island, and represented Basildon Athletic Club. He is still involved with athletics as a coach.

International competitions

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing the   Great Britain /   England
1991 World Indoor Championships Seville, Spain 3rd 3000 m 7:43.90
World Championships Tokyo, Japan 9th 5000 m 13:36.24
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 7th 5000 m 13:27.76
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany 9th 5000 m 13:27.09
1994 European Championships Helsinki, Finland 2nd 5000 m 13:37.50
Commonwealth Games Victoria, Canada 1st 5000 m 13:23.00
World Cup London, United Kingdom 3rd 10,000 m 28:20.65
1995 World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 24th (heats) 5000 m 13:37.14
1997 World Championships Athens, Greece 26th (heats) 5000 m 13:58.08
1999 World Championships Seville, Spain 19th (heats) 5000 m 13:41.28
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 28th (heats) 10,000 m 28:43.74
2002 Commonwealth Games Manchester, United Kingdom 12th 10,000 m 29:09.59

Personal bests

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  • 1500 m – 3:37.99 (1995)
  • Mile – 3:55.38 (1990)
  • 3000 m – 7:39.55 (1993)
  • 5000 m – 13:10.24 (1992)
  • 10,000 m – 28:03.31 (2000)

References

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  1. ^ "Jessica Judd has backing from former coach and former Canvey Commenwealth champion Rob Denmark - Evening Echo p. 23 July 2014". Retrieved 17 March 2019.
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