Shelley Newman

Shelley Jean Newman, now Parr and, is a female retired discus thrower from England and competed for Great Britain at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Athletics career

Born in Carshalton, London, her personal best throw is 61.22 metres, achieved in June 2003 in Loughborough. This was the English record for many years and at the time and placed her fourth on the British outdoor all-time list, behind Meg Ritchie, Venissa Head and Philippa Roles. She represented England in the discus event, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Four years later she won a bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
Drew was six-times British discus throw champion after winning the UK Championship in 1997 and the British AAA Championships title in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

Personal life

Shelley has a degree in physiology, which she gained at the University of Birmingham in 1994. She earned her doctorate in the subject in 1999 and became a Professorial Fellow in Medical Education in 2016. She currently works as the Director of the Centre for Higher Education Practice at the University of Southampton. Previously she held posts at the University of Birmingham and, until 2007, Cardiff University.