Charlie Dobson

Not to be confused with Charles Dobson.
Charlie Dobson
Dobson in 2022
Personal information
Born (1999-10-20) 20 October 1999 (age 25)[1]
Colchester, Essex, England
Alma materLoughborough University
Sport
SportSprinting
Event(s)200m, 400m
ClubColchester Harriers
Achievements and titles
Regional finals2022
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris 4×400 m
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Budapest 4×400 m relay
IAAF World U20 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Tampere 200 m
Diamond League
First place 2024 400 m
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Munich 4×400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2024 Rome 400 m

Charlie Dobson (born 20 October 1999) is a British sprinter, specialising in the 400 metres and the 4 x 400 metres relay. An Olympic bronze medalist and European champion in the relay, Dobson made his senior indivudual breakthrough in 2024; he won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships, and won the 400 metres event at the 2024 British Athletics Championships. In September 2024 he won his first individual and global title, when he was the surprise winner in the 400 metres final of the 2024 Diamond League in Brussels.

Personal life

Dobson is from Colchester, Essex, England.[2] He studied at St Benedict's Catholic College and Colchester Sixth Form College.[3] As of 2022, he is a student of aeronautical engineering at Loughborough University.[2][4]

Career

Dobson competes for Colchester Harriers Athletics Club.[2] He won his first international competition, which was the Loughborough International meeting.[5] He came second in the 200 metres event at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships,[2][5] finishing behind teammate Jona Efoloko.[5] Dobson had set personal best times in the heat and semi-finals of the competition.[6]

In 2020, Dobson set the British Universities & Colleges Sport record for the 60 metres event.[3] In 2021, Dobson ran the 400 metres event once. His finishing time was the joint fastest by a Briton that year, tied with Matthew Hudson-Smith.[4] He was selected in the British team for the 2021 World Athletics Relays,[7] but injured himself prior to the event. The injury also prevented him from attempting to qualify for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics;[4] he had been hoping to make the British 4 x 400 metres team at the Games.[2] He spent 10 months out with injury before returning in February 2022 at the Loughborough Indoor Open.[8]

In April 2022, Dobson ran a 200 metres event in 20.19, the 11th fastest time by a Briton in history.[4] Later in the year, he ran a wind-assisted 19.99 seconds to beat Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.[4] He was part of the British team that won the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2022 European Athletics Championships, alongside Matthew Hudson-Smith, Alex Haydock-Wilson and Lewis Davey. It was his first major relay.[9] Dobson also finished fourth in the individual 200 metres event.[9][8]

Dobson set a new personal best of 44.38s to win a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, on 10 June 2024.[10] Later that month he won his first national 400 metres title at the 2024 British Athletics Championships to secure a place at the Paris Olympics[11] where he went out in the semi-finals of the individual event[12] before claiming a bronze medal as part of the Great Britain 4x400 metre relay team.[13]

Dobson won the 400 metres at the 2024 Diamond League final in Brussels, Belgium, in a time of 44.49 seconds.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ "British Athletics". Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Stellar summer the target for sprinter Charlie Dobson after return from injury". Border Telegraph. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b "CHARLIE DOBSON: "TO COMPETE FOR ENGLAND AT A HOME GAMES WOULD BE SPECIAL"". SportsAid. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Charlie Dobson: The 200m prospect who Iwan Thomas tips to break British 400m record". BBC Sport. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Charlie Dobson is a sprinter on the rise". Athletics Weekly. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Jona Efoloko and Charlie Dobson take 200m 1-2 in Tampere". Athletics Weekly. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  7. ^ "World Athletics Relays: who, what and when?". Athletics Weekly. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Colchester sprinter Charlie Dobson wins gold at European Championships". Essex County Standard. 21 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b "British men bounce back with 4x400m gold as Bol completes hat-trick". Athletics Weekly. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Dobson claims 400m silver as Caudery wins pole vault bronze". BBC Sport. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Asher-Smith reaches Olympics as young GB stars shine". BBC Sport. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Colchester's Charlie Dobson fourth in 400m Olympic semi". Colchester Gazette. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Colchester's Charlie Dobson wins bronze at Paris Olympics". Colchester Gazette. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Dobson claims surprise win at Diamond League season finale". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Duplantis and Denny break meeting records on first day of Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels". World Athletics. Retrieved 13 September 2024.