Callum Elson
{{Short description|British athlete}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Callum Elson
| birth_name =
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = Great Britain
| sport = Athletics
| event = Mile
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|12|31|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| alma_mater = Collingwood College, Durham (BA)
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =
| weight =
| pb =
800m 1:49.87 (Watford, 2023)
1500m 3:35.39 (London, 2023)
One Mile 3:58.74 (Philadelphia, 2023)
3000m 8:15.64 (Leeds, 2021)
5000m 13:52.76 (Philadelphia, 2022)
10,000n 30:11.87 (Leeds, 2021)
One Mile Road: 3:56.41 (Riga, 2023)
|show-medals = yes
|medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Men's athletics}}
{{Medal|Country|{{Flagu|Great Britain}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Road Running Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|2023 Riga|Mile}}
}}
Callum Elson (born 31 December 1998) is a British middle-distance and cross-country runner. He won a silver medal in the road mile at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga.{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/callum-elson-14815445|title=Callum Elson|website=World Athletics|accessdate=3 October 2023}}
Career
A Cambridge and Coleridge athlete,{{cite web|website=British Athletics|url= https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/news-and-features/callum-elson-seals-mile-silver-at-the-inaugural-world-athletics-road-running-championships/#:~:text=Callum%20Elson%20secured%20Great%20Britain,the%20programme%20in%20Riga%2C%20Latvia.|accessdate=3 October 2023|title= Callum Elson Seals Mile Silver at the Inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships|date=1 October 2023}} Elson ran as a youngster and finished 16th in the English Schools Cross Country Champs in 2017, but while at the University of Durham concentrated on playing football and only began running seriously again during the COVID-19 Pandemic.{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/event-reports/surprise-package-callum-elson-storms-to-silver-in-riga-1039972060/|accessdate=3 October 2023|title=Surprise package Callum Elson storms to silver in Riga|first=Jason|last=Henderson |date=October 1, 2023 |website=World Athletics}} He studied for an MBA at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts and returned to the UK having won NCAA division II mile (indoor) and 1500m (outdoor) titles in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/interviews/callum-elsons-project-gathers-pace-1039973697/|website=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=9 December 2023|title= Callum Elson’s project gathers pace|first=Katy|last=Barden |date= December 9, 2023}}
He represented Britain for the first time at the European Cross Country Championships in Turin, Italy in December 2022.{{cite web|url= https://www.englandathletics.org/news/callum-elson-switching-football-boots-for-running-spikes/|website=England Athletics|accessdate=3 October 2023|title= Callum Elson – switching football boots for running spikes|date=4 May 2023}} In February 2023, he was selected to compete for Great Britain at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, New South Wales.{{cite web|accessdate=3 October 2023|date=February 1, 2023|first=Tim|last=Adams|title=Great Britain sends 17 athletes to World Cross in Australia|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/athletics-news/great-britain-sends-17-athletes-to-world-cross-champs-in-australia-1039964671/|website=World Athletics}}
Elson ran a new area record time of 3:56.41 to win the silver medal in the road mile at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga.{{cite web|website=BBC Sport|title=
World Athletics Road Running Championships 2023: Callum Elson claims silver in Lativa|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/66980459|date=2 October 2023|accessdate=3 October 2023}} He was selected for the 2023 European Cross Country Championships in Brussels in December 2023.{{cite web|url= https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/news-and-features/40-strong-gb-ni-team-brussels-bound-for-the-2023-european-cross-country-championships/|website=British Athletics|accessdate=28 November 2023|date=28 November 2023|title= 40-Strong GB & NI Team Brussels Bound for the 2023 European Cross Country Championships}}
On 18 February 2024, he was runner-up at the 2024 British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham, over 1500 metres.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5073/results-uk-athletics-indoor-championships-2024 |accessdate=19 February 2024|title= Results UK Athletics Indoor Championships 2024 |date=February 18, 2023|website=Watch Athletics}}{{cite web|url= https://athleticsweekly.com/event-reports/jemma-reekie-sends-a-message-to-world-indoor-rivals-1039975502/|website=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=19 February 2024|title= Jemma Reekie sends a message to World Indoor rivals|first=Jason|last=Henderson |date= February 18, 2024}} He was selected for the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.{{cite web|url= https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/news-and-features/great-britain-and-northern-ireland-squad-selected-for-home-world-athletics-indoor-championships-glasgow-24/|website=British Athletics|date=19 February 2024|accessdate=19 February 2024|title= Great Britain and Northern Ireland Squad Selected for Home World Athletics Indoor Champs}} However, he suffered an aches injury at the event and did not return to the track until February 2025.{{cite web|url=http://fastrunning.com/events-and-races/events-news/weekend-of-records-weekend-round-up/38109|website=Fast Running|first=James|last=Rhodes|title= Weekend of Records – Weekend Round Up |date=18 Feb 2025|accessdate=24 Feb 2025}}
Personal life
In the early 2020s, Elson began recording his athletics journey on social media using the moniker "The Distance Project".{{cite web|url=https://viewsfromtheconcourse.com/2022/03/21/callum-elson-interview/?amp=1|website=Viewsfromtheconcourse|accessdate=3 October 2023|title= Callum Elson – from footballer to sub-four|date=27 March 2022}} A football fan, he is a support of Leeds United.{{cite web|website=Cambridge Independent|accessdate=11 February 2024|url=https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/sport/amp/elson-has-eyes-on-more-glory-in-2023-to-build-on-last-year-s-9293444/|title= Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club’s Callum Elson sets sights on more glory in 2023 following Great Britain breakthrough|date=11 January 2024|first=Liam|last=Acipella}}
References
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Category:English male middle-distance runners
Category:British male middle-distance runners