Shelly Woods

Shelly Woods

File:Shelley Woods.jpg At the 2009 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester
Personal information
Full name	Rochelle Woods
Nationality	United Kingdom
Born	(1986-06-04) 4 June 1986 Blackpool, England
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	800m, 1500m, 5000m, Marathon
Medal record Representing Great Britain Track and field (athletics) Paralympic Games Beijing 2008 1500m T54 London 2012 Marathon Beijing 2008 5000m T54

Shelly Woods (born 4 June 1986) is an elite British Paralympic athlete from the suburb of Layton in Blackpool, Lancashire.

Shelly started using a wheelchair at the age of 11 after a heavy fall which injured her spinal cord. As a wheelchair athlete, she has achieved considerable success having won the Great North Run in 2005, setting a new British record for the half-marathon in the process. Shelly is also the national record holder over 5,000 metres and won silver medals in her very first London Marathon in 2005 and again in 2006.She played in the marathon.

Shelly also holds the women's course record for the Reading Half Marathon, set in 2004 at 66 minutes 37 seconds.

On 22 April 2007, Shelly won the London Marathon Women's wheelchair race for the first time in a record time of 1:50:41.

Representing Team GB at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, Woods won a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres wheelchair final at the second time of asking. Having originally been awarded silver for coming second on 8 September, a controversial protest arising from a multiple collision (six athletes crashed) in the final straight led to the race being re-staged four days later.

Shelly later won a silver medal in the 1500m, finishing very strongly to beat Switzerland's Edith Hunkeler at the line, and came fourth in the marathon.

Shelly also represented Team GB at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London where she won a silver medal in the women's marathon. She came 6th in the 1500m, 8th in the 5000m and came 3rd in the heats of the 800m but failed to qualify for the final.

2014

Woods competed in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and finished sixth in the 1500m before going on to three fifth places finishes at the IPC European Championships in Swansea.

In September 2014, Woods clocked a half marathon personal best (50.34) to win the BUPA Great North Run.

External links

• Shellywoods.com: Shelly's website