Elizabeth Bird

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Elizabeth Bird

| image =

| caption =

| nationality = British

| full_name =

| nickname = Lizzie

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|10|4|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Manila, Philippines

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =

| weight =

| country = Great Britain & N.I.
England

| sport = Athletics

| event = 3000 metres steeplechase

| club = Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers

| pb = {{ubl

|1500 m: 4:06.56 (Leuven 2024)

|Mile: 4:30.67 (Dublin 2022)

|3000 m steeplechase: 9:04.35 (Paris 2024) {{AthAbbr|NR|British}}

}}

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country|{{GBR2}}}}

{{Medal|Country|{{ENG}}}}

}}

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bird (born 4 October 1994){{cite web |title=Elizabeth BIRD – Athlete Profile |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/elizabeth-bird-14422252 |website=World Athletics |access-date=2021-01-01}} is a British athlete who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze medals at the 2022 and 2024 European Athletics Championships.

Bird is the current British record-holder in the 3000 m steeplechase with a time of 9:04.35. She is a three-time (2021, 2022 and 2024) British national champion.

Early career

Bird began running in St Albans, and her first club was Hertfordshire Phoenix Athletic Club.{{Cite web |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1477695-bird-elizabeth.htm |title=Athletics - BIRD Elizabeth |work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics |publisher=Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games |access-date=4 August 2021 |archive-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017064936/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1477695-bird-elizabeth.htm |url-status=dead }} She studied at Princeton University, graduating in Public and International Affairs in 2017. She was an NCAA Honorable Mention All-America honoree in the steeplechase in 2015 and was a four-time NCAA Regional qualifier. Bird was a two-time Ivy League champion in the steeplechase and part of the 4x800 m team that won a conference title in 2017 as well as being the Ivy League cross country champion in 2015.{{Cite web |url=https://goprincetontigers.com/news/2021/7/31/womens-track-and-field-tokyo-olympics-lizzie-bird-17-advances-to-steeplechase-final.aspx |title=Tokyo Olympics: Lizzie Bird '17 Advances to Steeplechase Final |website=Princeton University Athletics}}

Career

Bird competed in the women's 3000 m steeplechase event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and did not advance from the heats clocking a personal best of 9:30.13.{{cite web |url=https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/6033/AT-3KSC-W-h----.SL2.pdf |title=3000 Metres Steeplechase Women - Round 1 |work=IAAF (Doha 2019) |access-date=30 September 2019}}

Having qualified for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in her specialist event, she reached the final after finishing fifth in her heat.{{Cite web |url=https://www.runbritain.com/news/lizzie-bird-qualifies-for-olympic-steeplechase-final |title=Lizzie Bird qualifies for Olympic Steeplechase final - runbritain |website=www.runbritain.com}} In the final Bird broke the national record with a time of 9:19.68, placing ninth.

In July 2022, she did not qualify for the final at the World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon in a time of 9:23.17. About three weeks later, Bird won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022 in a personal best of 9:17.79. She set new lifetime best and a British record of 9:07.87 at the Monaco Diamond League five days later.{{Cite web |last=Barden |first=Katy |date=2022-11-08 |title=How they train: Lizzie Bird |url=https://athleticsweekly.com/performance/training/how-they-train-lizzie-bird-1039962572/ |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=AW |language=en-GB}} Also in August, she earned a bronze at the European Athletics Championships in Munich, clocking 9:23.18.

She won a second European bronze medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jun/09/dina-asher-smith-wins-100m-gold-at-european-championships|website=The Guardian|date=9 June 2024|accessdate=9 June 2024|first=Sean |last=Ingle|title= Dina Asher-Smith powers to 100m gold for first major title in five years}} Bird was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Summer Olympics{{cite web|url=https://www.britishathletics.org.uk/news-and-features/team-gb-athletics-squad-confirmed-for-paris-2024/|title=TEAM GB ATHLETICS SQUAD CONFIRMED FOR PARIS 2024|publisher=GB Athletics|accessdate=5 July 2024}} where she finished seventh setting a new national record time of 9:04.35.{{cite web|url=https://www.hertsad.co.uk/sport/24502041.st-albans-lizzie-bird-sets-british-record-olympic-final/|title=St Albans' Lizzie Bird sets British record in Olympic final|publisher=The Herts Advertiser|accessdate=9 August 2024}}

Personal life

She currently lives in Reno with her partner. She maintains a long distance friendship with her friend Rachael. Bird studied for a master's degree in International Studies at the University of San Francisco between 2017 and 2018 but deferred a place at law school in Boulder, Colorado in order to focus on the 2020 Summer Olympics. She has been involved in advocacy and support for human rights organisation Detention Action.