Further Information 

Competition Stats

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Long jump: 1994 (U18) - 1st, 1995 (U18) - 1st, 1996 (U20) - 3rd, 2000 - 2nd, 2001 - 3rd (2nd Australian), 2002 - 1st, 2003 - 1st, 2004 - 2nd, 2006 - 1st, 2007 - 1st, 2008 - 1st

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Olympic Games: 2000 - long jump qual round (6.55m), 2004 - 4th (6.96m)
Goodwill Games: 2001 - long jump 2nd (6.88m)
Commonwealth Games: 2002 - long jump 6th (6.38m), 2006 - long jump 1st (6.97m)
World Championships: 2003 - long jump 7th (6.48m), 2007 - long jump qual round (6.46m)
World Indoor Champioships: 2004 - long jump qual round (6.51m)
World Cup: 2006 - long jump 4th (6.63m)

ANNUAL PROGRESSION:

Long jump:
1994 5.94m
1995 6.10m
1996 6.10m
2000 6.56m
2001 6.88m
2002 7.00m
2003 6.73m
2004 6.96m
2005 6.59m/6.73w
2006 6.97m
2007 6.50m/6.63w
2008 6.67m

EVENTS / PERSONAL BESTS:
100 metres: 11.77 (+0.4) - Brisbane, 21/03/03
Long jump: 7.00m (+1.8m) - Melbourne, 7/03/02

RECORD(S):
Oceania/Commonwealth/National record - long jump: 7.00m (+1.8m) - Melbourne, 7/03/02
Oceania/Commonwealth/National record - long jump: 6.88m (+2.0) - Brisbane, 07/09/01

Interesting Facts

Bronwyn is a physiotherapist by trade and started athletics at the age of 10. She likes to combine work (which is mainly with young children) and training. Bronwyn was elected Chair of the Athletics Australia’s Athletes’ Commission and as a member of the board of Directors of Athletics Australia in March 2007.

Prior to the Sydney Olympics, Bronwyn discovered she had a tumour in her take-off foot. Immediately after the Olympics, the tumour - which was the size of a ball - had wrapped itself around the sheath of tendons. It was subsequently removed and found to be benign.

When she takes to the runway for the long jump, her run up is 20-strides (41m).

Her wedding, following the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and just prior to travelling overseas for six months on the European circuit, was the talk of Brisbane. She had her hen’s night during the Games closing ceremony.

She was named Telstra Female Athlete of the Year in June 2006 and has been ranked as high as No. 2 on world lists.

Sporting Career

In 1996, Bronwyn was selected in the squad for the World Junior Championships but just missed out on final selection for the team. After a period away from serious athletics to concentrate on studies, she made a triumphant return at the 2000 Australian Championships - winning silver.

Her rise was then rapid, winning the long jump at the 2000 Olympic Trials with a new personal best and gaining a place in the team over long serving team member Nicole Boegman in a close selection battle. At the Games, Bronwyn missed a place in the final by just 5cm.

Less than a year, after a nervous wait for the results of surgery and in front of her home crowd in Brisbane, she broke the 13-year-old national long jump record with a distance of 6.88m to take silver at the 2001 Goodwill Games.

Six months on in March 2002, Bronwyn went one better in the record stakes, shattering the Commonwealth, Oceania and National records with a barrier breaking jump of exactly 7.00m. The leap was the second longest in the world over the previous 18 months. In mid-April, despite a worsening bruised heel, she won her first national title with 6.77m - the longest ‘legal’ distance in Nationals history.

The injury restricted her 2002 Commonwealth Games campaign, resulting in a below par leap of 6.38m to place sixth in the final. Again injury affected preparation for the 2003 World Championships, but she nonetheless managed to finish seventh in the final.

After an operation in October, this time on her knee-cap, Bronwyn compiled a solid 2004 domestic season but suffered a rare defeat at the Olympic Trials to Kerrie Taurima. But after an encouraging 6.80m in Madrid in July, she had a fantastic Games in Athens, easily qualifying for the final with another 6.80m leap. Though striking one of the highest standard women’s long jump competitions for many years, Bronwyn had to settle for fourth despite jumping 6.96m - ahead of many other fine athletes.

Sadly, a week later after jumping a windy 6.88m in Rieti (ITA), she badly injured her knee which required a range of surgery, including on the posterolateral corner.

She resumed competition in October 2005, initially jumping off her ‘other’ leg. From there she quickly improved to qualify for the Commonwealth Games, winning the 2006 Nationals at 6.67m. By March she was able to completely dominate the Games competition, taking gold with a world class jump of 6.97m. She had a very successful European tour in 2006, finishing second in the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart and fourth in the World Cup in Athens.

Bronwyn won her fourth National long jump title in March 2007, earning selection for a second World Championships. However, she required knee surgery in early May, book-ended by time on the sidelines to manage the injury, and hit the European circuit in late June. Her first competition, at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic, registered 6.43m though, pleasingly, a season’s best of 6.72m came less than two weeks later at Bad Langensalza, Germany - a pure long jump meet.

But challenges were again presented as performances that followed in Germany, Greece and Spain all dipped below 6.40m; Bronwyn returned to Australia somewhat bothered by her troublesome knee. Plus Osaka was nearing.

Ever positive, she headed to the World Championships and was awarded co-captaincy of the team with thrower Scott Martin. While intentions had been to better her Worlds performance of 2003, Bronwyn could do no better than 6.46m and bowed out in the qualification stages.

Bronwyn won her fifth national long jump title in March 2008, earning nomination to the Australian Olympic Committee for selection into the Australian team for the 2008 Olympic Games.

All of her energy will now go towards Beijing and her prospects as an Olympic medallist.

Family connections
Her dad was a high jumper in his teenage days and returned to competition, coached by Bronwyn, to place fifth at the 2001 World Veterans Championships. Bronwyn's grandfather played a major role in starting physical education in Queensland schools.