Having risen from working in a sweet shop and being an Army truck driver to become a double Olympic champion, perhaps it’s no surprise that Britons have named Dame Kelly Holmes as this country’s greatest female role model.
In a poll, the retired middle–distance runner pipped another Olympic gold–medal winner, heptathlon specialist Dame Jessica Ennis–Hill, to the top spot.
Dame Kelly specialised in the 800m and 1,500m events and won gold medals for both at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
She set British records in numerous events and still holds the records over the 600 and 1,000m distances. The survey showed 65 per
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