Michelle Carey (now Parker) competed for Ireland in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and in the women's 4x400 metres relay at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
From Dublin, she was a relatively late developer who made steady progress through her early twenties to become one of Ireland's most consistent hurdlers, winning eight Irish national 400 metres hurdles titles. She studied PE and Sport Science at Loughborough University from 1999, where she was coached by Nick Dakin through to 2010, and subsequently completed a PGCE in Primary School Teaching at Sheffield Hallam and a postgraduate qualification in Psychology.
She set her personal best of 56.19 seconds in California in April 2008, having qualified for Beijing after a series of close calls to the demanding A standard of 55.60 seconds. At Beijing she competed in the 400 metres hurdles heats, and at London 2012 she was part of the 4x400 metres relay squad, running in the first round. After retiring from athletics she worked as a teacher in the UK, including seven years in Shanghai, before returning to Ireland. She is a member of Dublin Striders AC.
Athletics
