Jo Ankier

Joanna Ankier is a former international track runner who held three British National Records and is now a British television personality. Jo is currently a television host for BT Sport Boxing & reporter for Amazon Prime Video on football and well as covering four Olympic Games for ESPN and Olympic Channel News.

Jo Ankier
Personal information
BornLondon, England, United Kingdom[1]
Height1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Sport
ClubShaftesbury Barnet Harriers
Retired2008
Now coachingBryan Smith[1]
Achievements and titles
Highest world rankingNo. 8 – May 2005
Personal best(s)3000 Steeplechase – 9:43.88
Updated on Aug 2014.

Jo is a host on CBS Sports Serie A programming airing across America on Sundays on CBS & Paramount Plus. Jo is also the live post-fight reporter and a studio host for BT Sport on their boxing fight nights for the prestigious FightNight Live programming and is BT Sport's side-line reporter for "MLB London," covering the first ever Major League Baseball series to be played in Europe in June 2019. Jo covered match days and weekly news for Premier League's international audience during the 2019/2020 season interviewing players and managers such as Ndombele, Frank Lampard, Unai Emery, Virgil Van Dyk on a regular basis.

Jo has covered four Olympic Games as host & reporter (2021, 2016, 2012, 2004) and has been a long time contributor to ESPN in Los Angeles for whom she covered both the "London 2012 Olympics" as well as "Rio2016" amongst other regular year-round event sports coverage reporting for the international versions of their flagship show Sportscenter on NBA, soccer, tennis, boxing, sailing and hosting live events such as the ESPY awards and X Games. Jo was the live studio presenter of “Beyond the Game” world sports show filmed out of Istanbul for TRT World during the 2018 Fifa World Cup and has also been a regular contributor to The Tennis Channel out of Los Angeles.

Jo is a former British steeplechase athlete who competed at the IAAF World Championships in 2005 and held British national records for the 1500, 2000 and 3000 metre steeplechases.

Early life and education

Ankier grew up in north-west London and attended the Henrietta Barnett School. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nottingham where she majored in physics with a minor in philosophy. Ankier then furthered her post-graduate education at King's College London where she received a sports law diploma.[2]

Ankier is a skilled pianist and cellist. In 2016, she joined Atlanta Braves shortstop Chase Darnaud and father / son duo Clayton and Sebastian Cages to form country rock and roll group, The Chasedarnaud band. Ankier plays acoustic and electric cello along with keyboard in the group which released their first full album "Seven Ghosts" on September 22, 2016.

Career

Athletics

Ankier is a former holder of the British National records for the 1500, 2000 and 3000 metre steeplechases. She trained at the UK Athletics' Endurance Centre at St Mary's University, Twickenham, and was a member of the Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.[2][3]

In 2003, she set the British record for the women's 2000 metre steeplechase with a time of 6 minutes 48 seconds, at the Birmingham AAAs championships on 26 July.[4]

In 2004, she set the British record for the women's 1500 metre steeplechase with a time of 4 minutes 52.5 seconds, at the Bedford Inter Counties Championships on 31 May.[4]

In 2005, she set the British record for the women's 3000 metre steeplechase with a time of 9 minutes 50 seconds, at the Naimette-Xhovémont track in Liège, Belgium on 20 July.[4] After finishing 3rd in the European Cup at Leiria in Portugal she competed in the first ever Women's Steeplechase at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki where she finished 11th.[4]

In 2006, she finished 7th in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.[4]

She finished third at the qualifying trials for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the third place on the team was given to the athlete who had a faster time at a previous event.[5]

Ankier's UK rankings include:[4]

  • 'Under 20' 2,000 metres: 2001 – Number 1.
  • 'Under 23' 1,500 metres: 2002 – 3rd.
  • 'Under 23' 3,000 metres indoor: 2002 – 3rd.
  • 1,500 metres indoor: 2002 – 12th; 2003 – 11th; 2004 – 21st; 2005 – 8th.
  • 1,500 metres steeplechase: 2004 – Number 1.
  • 2,000 metres steeplechase: 2001 – 3rd; 2003 – 7th; 2004 – 3rd.
  • 3,000 metres: 2005 – 9th; 2006 – 4th.
  • 3,000 metres indoor: 2004 – 14th; 2005 – 6th; 2007 – 4th; 2008 – 5th.
  • 3,000 metres steeplechase: 2003 – 3rd; 2004 – 2nd, 2005 – 2nd; 2006 – 3rd; 2007 – 6th; 2008 – 4th.
  • 2 miles: 2007 – 3rd.
  • 10,000 metres: 2005 – 15th.

She retired from top level international athletics in 2008 and competed in only 3 events in 2009. Over the course of her ten-year athletics career she competed in 134 national and international events, winning 20 of them.[4]

London Olympics video

In 2005, Ankier was chosen by the London 2012 Olympic Committee to star in the official video for the successful London Olympic Bid. In Sport at Heart she is pictured running through the sights of London inspiring locals and celebrities to "Back the Bid" and win London the Olympic Games.[6][7]

Media

Ankier's media career is primarily as an investigative news and sports reporter, anchor and producer for TV channels including: ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel, The Tennis Channel, Chelsea FC, Sky Sports News, Liverpool FC, KDOC-TV, Los Angeles, Chivas USA (Major League Soccer), VICE News, TLN News and Vocative.

In 2011, Ankier hosted ESPN International's global red carpet show for the prestigious ESPY awards airing across the Europe, Caribbean and Pacific Rim regions.

In 2012, she anchored ESPN International's flagship show SportsCenter over the London 2012 Olympic Games. Her athletics background enabled her to record exclusive interviews with star athletes such as Oscar Pistorius and Alison Felix.

In 2013, she was the solo host and reporter for ESPN's PAC-RIM Australia and New Zealand coverage of the final X Games from Los Angeles. She went on to lead ESPN International's coverage of the Americas Cup sailing in San Francisco later that year.

In 2016, Jo covered her second Olympic games for ESPN as a reporter across track and field, soccer and tennis in Rio.

See also
Wikiquote has quotations related to Jo Ankier.

References
  1. BBC Sport Academy. Masterclass with Jo Ankier
  2. "Jo Ankier, official website – Personal profile". Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. Inside the Games Newsletter 04 – Top Stories This Week. Bell Lap, Here’s one for Becks Christmas socking... Page 16. PDF
  4. Power of 10 – Athletics database. Profile of Jo Ankier
  5. Jewish Chronicle, 25 July 2008, Jo Ankier fails Olympic bid, by Danny Caro
  6. IMDB. Cast credits for Sport at Heart
  7. London Olympic Bid – Official video. Ankier is the linking visual theme as she runs through London.
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