Michael Rimmer

Michael Rimmer (born 3 February 1986) is an English former middle-distance runner who competed at three Olympic Games in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Biography Rimmer was born in Southport. Originally a member of Southport Waterloo AC, he changed clubs to rivals Liverpool Pembroke Sefton, who he still now races with. He attended Christ The King catholic high school and broke numerous records in school mile races held at Victoria park, Southport. Michael was also a former sports scholar at Liverpool John Moores University.

He finished 8th in the 800m final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. Finished 2nd in his first European Cup in Munich (2007). He is the first male 800 m runner in British history to win national titles at under 15, 17, 20 and as a senior athlete.

His personal best is 1:43.89 (lowering his previous mark by over half a second) which he set in Rieti, Italy, in 2010. This places him 6th on the "UK all time list" and is the fastest by any British athlete in over 17 years.

As he won the Senior title in 2008, he was selected to represent Team GB at the Beijing Olympics. Rimmer's build-up to the Games was disrupted by food poisoning, which he picked up at the holding camp in Macau. The Southport runner comfortably came through his first-ever Olympic race in 1:47.61, despite having lost almost because of his illness.

In August 2009, Rimmer competed in the World Championships, held in Berlin. Rimmer looked promising throughout the heats of the 800 m, and after squeezing through his previous round he was well down the field in the semi-final in a time of 1:46.77. In July 2010, he became the first male 800 m runner in history to win five consecutive national senior titles in Birmingham. He won his first major championship medal in the European Championships in Barcelona, a silver medal behind Marcin Lewandowski with a 1:47.17.

Rimmer was a seven-times British 800 metres champion after winning the British AAA Championships title in 2006 and the British Athletics Championships from 2007 to 2010 and from 2013 to 2014.

Throughout his career Rimmer adhered to a superstition of always wearing a t-shirt below his racing vest.

Competition record