Dame Denise Lewis: Olympic gold medallist is new UK Athletics president
- Published
Dame Denise Lewis was the first British athlete to win an Olympic gold in the heptathlon
Former Olympic heptathlon champion Dame Denise Lewis has been elected president of UK Athletics.
The 51-year-old takes over from former sprinter Jason Gardener, who has held the post since 2015.
Lewis won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics after securing bronze in Atlanta four years earlier.
Former world 1500m silver medallist Hannah England has been named a vice-president while other senior roles went to Tony Shiret and Arwel Williams.
Lewis was awarded a damehood in the New Year Honours in recognition of her role as president of Commonwealth Games England and for services to sport.
She has also worked successfully as a pundit and television presenter since retiring as an athlete in 2005.
Her medal haul also contains two Commonwealth golds, a European gold and two world silver medals and she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.