Background
Child was born in Perth, Scotland.
Child was born in Perth, Scotland.
University of Edinburgh.
She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She is the Scottish record holder for the 400 metres hurdles with 54.22 sec (2013) and 400 metres at indoor level with 51.45 sec (2013). In 2009, Child significantly improved her personal best for the 400m hurdles from 56.84 to 55.32, to finish second at the European U23 Championships in Kaunus, Lithuania, behind fellow British athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton.
She also qualified for that years World Championships in Berlin, reaching the semi-finals.
In 2010, she further improved to 55.16 at the London Diamond League in August. In 2012, Child ran below 55 seconds for the 400 metres hurdles for the first time, with 54.96 on 2 June in Geneva.
Two weeks later, she earned Olympic selection, with 55.53 for second behind Shakes-Drayton at the Olympic trials. At the London Olympics, she reached the semi-finals, running 56.02.
She then added a gold in the 4x400 m relay.
The British quartet of Christine Ohurougu, Shana Cox, Child and Shakes-Drayton also improved the United Kingdom indoor record to 3:27.56. Outdoors, she broke the Scottish 400 metres hurdles record with 54.22 in Birmingham in June. Then in August, at the World Championships in Moscow, she ran 54.32 in her semi-final to reach the final.
In the final she was fifth in 54.86.
Child captained the first ever Scotland team at the Glasgow International match in January 2014. 2014 also saw Child secure her first 400 metres hurdles British title, and take victory at the first ever IAAF Diamond League meeting in Scotland, the Glasgow Grand Prix. in a European leading time of 54.39.
1 Child ran in the heats but not the final.2 54.76 was Child"s fastest 400 m hurdles time (not including non-scoring diamond league events) of her Diamond League season.