Beth Potter

Scottish long-distance runner and triathlete

Beth Potter
Personal information
Born (1991-12-27) 27 December 1991 (age 32)
Glasgow, Scotland[1]
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight51 kg (112 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics, Triathlon
Coached byMick Woods
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Women's triathlon
World Triathlon Championship Series
Gold medal – first place 2023 Elite
European Triathlon Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Weert Triathlon
Super League Triathlon
Gold medal – first place 2022 Arena Games Championship Series Elite
Representing  Scotland
Women's triathlon
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Birmingham Triathlon

Beth Potter (born 27 December 1991) is a multiple World Champion Scottish triathlete and long distance runner competing internationally for Great Britain, and for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. She competed for Great Britain in athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In 2019 she won the gold medal at the European Triathlon Championships in Weert, Netherlands.[2] In 2022, she won individual bronze at the 2022 World Triathlon Sprint Championships, and silver with Team Great Britain in the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships. In 2023, she won the Elite championship in the World Triathlon Championship Series, becoming the sixth British women's world champion.

Potter also competes in Super League Triathlon. She won the Super League Triathlon Arena Games, London 2021, and was second at the Rotterdam event.[3][4] In 2022 Potter became the first Esports Triathlon World Champion, by winning the 2022 Arena Games Triathlon series.[5]

Early life

Potter was born in Scotland and grew up in Bearsden, where she ran for Victoria Park Glasgow.[6] Her father, Alex, is also a competitive runner and her sister, Sarah, is a running coach.[6][7] At a young age Potter was a competitive swimmer.[8] She attended Loughborough University.[9] Potter moved to London for postgraduate training at Saint Mary's University.[6]

Career

Running career

Potter began competing as a runner in 2004. In 2008, she placed first at the Scottish Under-15 Championships in cross country and in the 1500m distance in track. She finished 36th in Under 20 cross-country at the World Championships in 2010.[10]

Coming back from an injury, Potter placed 18th in 5,000m at the under 23 European Championships in 2013 (16th after disqualifications).[11] Potter began training with coach Mick Woods who convinced her not to quit running.[12] Potter was more successful in 2014 competing at the senior level, representing Scotland at Glasgow where she finished 9th in the 5,000m and 5th at the 10,000m distance.[12][10] The next year she had a disappointing 2015 season due to illness.[11]

Potter qualified to represent Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She secured her place qualifying as the second British woman in the women's 10,000m behind Jess Andrews.[13] Leading up to the Olympics, Potter trained with fellow Scot Steph Twell.[6] Potter also worked with a sports psychologist weekly in an effort to overcome her difficulty managing stress.[6] She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, in the women's 10,000 metres, finishing 34th.[14][15]

In May 2017 Potter won the 10,000 metres at the British trials, her first race on the track since the Olympics, qualifying her for the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.[16]

Triathlon career

In January 2017 Potter announced that she was planning to make a transition from athletics to triathlon with a view to competing in triathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics, having moved to Leeds to join an elite training group including Alistair Brownlee, Jonathan Brownlee, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford, although she did also indicate that she would aim to compete in the 2017 World Athletics Championships.[17][18] In June 2017 she finished third in the elite race at the Blenheim Palace Triathlon[19] and won the elite competition at the Cardiff Triathlon.[20]

Potter finished 4th in the 2021 Super League Triathlon Championship Series,[21] as well as winning the Super League Triathlon Arena Games, London, and finishing second at the Rotterdam event.[3][4] in 2022, Potter won Arena Games Triathlon Powered by Zwift, Munich, the first event of the new Arena Games Triathlon Powered by Zwift Esports World Championship series.[22] Two weeks later, at Arena Games Triathlon London, she finished in 2nd place behind France's Cassandre Beaugrand[23] At the final event of the series, held at Marina Bay Singapore, Potter finished in second place, behind Hungary's Zsanett Bragmeyer. Her second place finish, was however enough to take the overall title in the 2022 Arena Games Triathlon Series, making Potter the inaugural Esports Triathlon World Champion.[5]

She finished in third place at SLT NEOM, the final event of the 2022 Super League Triathlon season, her podium finish at the event secured her 4th place in the series overall.[24]

In August 2023, Potter won the Olympic Games Test Event for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, finishing ahead of Cassandre Beaugrand and Laura Lindemann.[25] On 24 September, she was crowned World Champion after winning the World Triathlon Championship Series final in Pontevedra, Spain.[26]

In November 2023 it was announced that Potter had been selected for the British 2024 Summer Olympic team.[27]

Teaching career

In addition to training as a runner, as of June 2016 Potter was teaching physics in west London.[11] However by the end of that year she had left her teaching post in order to concentrate on training full-time.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Beth Potter". Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2018 – via www.sports-reference.com/olympics/.
  2. ^ Elite Women's results Weert 2019 ETU Championships
  3. ^ a b "Sophie Coldwell Beats Beth Potter To SLT Arena Games Title In Rotterdam". Super League Triathlon. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Beth Potter Beats Lucy Charles-Barclay To SLT Arena Games Title". Super League Triathlon. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b Leitch, Adam (7 May 2022). "Beth Potter Wins Arena Games Triathlon Title as Zsanett Bragmayer Takes The Win In Singapore". Super League Triathlon. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e Forsyth, Paul. "Potter trusts in magical mix of power and perseverance" (PDF). Retrieved 18 September 2016 – via scottishathletics.org.
  7. ^ "Rio Olympian visits Victoria Park AC in Glasgow". 5 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Beth Potter – secures 10,000m Commonwealth Standard for Scotland days after claiming BUCS 5K title ‹ TrackField97.com". www.trackfield97.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Famously Connected: Beth Potter". The Community Magazine. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Beth Potter - scotstats". www.scotstats.net. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Egelstaff, Susan (11 June 2016). "Athletics: Joy of reaching Rio still sinking in for 10,000 metres runner Beth Potter". The National. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  12. ^ a b Woods, Mark. "Beth Potter's strongwoman tactics". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Beth Potter delighted with second and Rio 10,000m berth". BBC Sport. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Beth Potter". rio2016.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  15. ^ "Rio 2016". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  16. ^ Henderson, Jason (20 May 2017). "Beth Potter and Andy Vernon triumph at Highgate Night of the 10,000m PBs". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  17. ^ a b Woods, Mark (16 January 2017). "Olympian Potter to shift from track to triathlon for Tokyo". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Beth Potter: Training with Brownlees helped me qualify for World Championships". bbc.co.uk. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  19. ^ "Perfect conditions as 7000 compete in Blenheim Triathlon". itv.com. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  20. ^ Dewey, Philip (25 June 2017). "A record number of competitors took part in this year's Cardiff Triathlon". WalesOnline. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Beth Potter » Super League Triathlon". Super League Triathlon. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Potter Dominates In Munich As Home Favourites Secure Podium Spots". Super League Triathlon. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  23. ^ "Cassandre Beaugrand Powers To Win At Arena Games Triathlon London powered by Zwift". Super League Triathlon. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  24. ^ Powell, Megan (29 October 2022). "GEORGIA TAYLOR-BROWN CROWNED 2022 SUPER LEAGUE CHAMP". Super League Triathlon. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  25. ^ https://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2023_world_triathlon_test_event_paris/582628
  26. ^ "World Triathlon Championship Series: Great Britain's Beth Potter crowned champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Potter & Yee first GB triathletes chosen for Paris 2024". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 November 2023.

External links

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