Jo Pavey

Joanne Marie Pavey MBE (née Davis, born 20 September 1973) is a British long-distance runner representing Europe, Great Britain and England in a career notable for its longevity, range and consistency. A World, European and Commonwealth medallist, Pavey won her only senior title when she claimed the 10,000 m gold medal at the 2014 European Championships in Zürich, ten months after giving birth to her second child, to become the oldest female European champion in history at the age of 40 years and 325 days.

Pavey is a five-time Olympian, having represented Great Britain in every Olympic Games from 2000 to 2016. She is the only British runner and track event athlete to have competed in five games. She is also the 2012 European Championship silver medallist in the 10,000 m and a two-time 5000 m medallist at the Commonwealth Games, winning silver in Melbourne 2006 and bronze, aged 40, in Glasgow 2014.

At global level, her best results include bronze in the 10,000 m at the 2007 World Championships and fifth in the 5000 m at the 2004 Olympic Games. In 2015 media reports stated that 2007 silver medalist Elvan Abeylegesse had been found, on retesting, to have taken a prohibited substance, and suspended by IAAF. Confirmed in 2017, this elevated Pavey to the bronze medal, her first World Championship medal.

Earlier in her career she competed in the 1500 metres, 3000 metres and 5000 metres distances. From 2007 onwards, she focused on longer distances, ranging from 5000 m to the marathon. She has personal best times of 4:01.79 (1500 m), 8:31.27 (3000 m), 14:39.96 (5000 m), 30:53.20 (10,000 m) and 2:28:24 (marathon).

An eleven-time national champion at distances between 1500 metres and the Marathon, she is coached by her husband and manager Gavin Pavey, with whom she has two children.