View source for Michael East (athlete)

{{short description|English middle-distance runner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name        = Michael East
| image       =
| caption     =
| nationality = British (English)
| sport       = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
| event       = middle-distance
| club        = [[Newham and Essex Beagles]]
| birth_date  = 20 January 1978
| birth_place = [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], England
| death_date  =
| death_place = 
| height      =188 cm
| weight      =68 kg
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}
{{Medal|Sport | Men's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{ENG}} }}
{{Medal|Gold| [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester]] | 1500 metres}}
}}
'''Michael John East''' (born 20 January 1978) is a retired [[Middle distance track event|middle-distance]] athlete who won the 1500 metres gold medal at the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] and competed at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=oly>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/105612 |title=Biographical Information |website=Olympedia |access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref>

== Biography ==
East represented [[England at the 2002 Commonwealth Games|England]] at the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] in Manchester, where he won the gold medal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/manchester-2002/athletes |title=Manchester 2002 Team |website=Team England |access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref> He was the last British male to win a major 1500m title until [[Jake Wightman]] became World Champion in [[2022 World Athletics Championships – Men's 1500 metres|2022]].<ref name="insidegames">{{cite web |date=7 September 2008 |title=Collins gone but repercussions still being felt as East retires |url=http://www.insidethegames.com/show-news.php?id=3470 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914103059/http://www.insidethegames.com/show-news.php?id=3470 |archivedate=14 September 2008 |accessdate=13 May 2009 |publisher=[[Inside the Games]]}}</ref>

East became the [[List of British champions in 1500 metres|British 1500 metres champion]] after winning the British [[AAA Championships]] title at the [[2001 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref> In the [[IAAF European Cup]], East finishing second and third in 2002 and 2003 respectively in the 1500 metres event. He nearly added to his medal tally when finishing third at the [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships]] in [[Budapest]], Hungary only to find himself disqualified for interfering with the run of the [[Kenya]]n [[Laban Rotich]].

He reached the final of the 1500m at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens]], finishing in 6th place. He was the only British male at those Games to reach an individual athletics final on the track. He was a semi-finalist at the [[2005 IAAF World Championships]] but missed most of the 2006 and 2007 seasons because of a knee injury. As a result, in November 2007 he had his [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|lottery]] funding removed, making it much harder for him to return to top rank competition. He had to rely on financial support from two [[Portsmouth]] companies.<ref name="insidegames"/> East called the decision by [[UK Athletics]] "crazy" and "shortsighted."<ref>{{cite web|author=Broadbent, Rick|title=Rubber-band man Michael East bounces back |work=[[The Times]]|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article3492044.ece|date=6 March 2008|accessdate=14 August 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He returned to compete at the [[2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships]] but was not selected for the squad for the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] as he could finish only 8th in the trials held in July. He announced his retirement on 8 September 2008.<ref name="insidegames"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.olympics.org.uk/athletebio.aspx?at=5550 British Olympic Association profile]

{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 1500m Men}}
{{British Indoor Athletics Championships men's 1500 metres champions}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:East, Michael}}
[[Category:1978 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:British men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Reading, Berkshire]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]