Jessica Varnish

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Jessica Varnish Road cycling
Jessica Varnish (2015)
Jessica Varnish (2015)
To person
Nickname Jess
Date of birth November 10, 1990
nation United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
discipline Train (short term)
End of career 2016
Most important successes
UCI track world championships
2014 bronze - Team sprint with Rebecca James
2011 silver - Team sprint with Victoria Pendleton
Last updated: November 11, 2017

Jessica "Jess" Varnish (born November 10, 1990 in Bromsgrove ) is a former British track cyclist who specialized in short-term disciplines.

Athletic career

Jessica Varnish took part unofficially in the Junior Track World Championships at the age of 14. She was a specialist in the short-term disciplines on the track . She was European junior champion in the keirin and time trial three times .

At the 2011 UCI Track World Championships in Apeldoorn , Varnish and Victoria Pendleton won silver in the team sprint , and the two women became European champions together in the same discipline. At the 2011/12 Track Cycling World Cup in London, she set a new world record with 32.828 seconds. At the 2014 World Railroad Championships , she and Rebecca James won bronze in the team sprint and bronze in the sprint at the Commonwealth Games .

Conflict with British Cycling

In April 2016 it became known that the contract between Jessica Varnish and the Olympic program of the British Cycling Federation had not been renewed, so that she could not participate in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro . The reason is insufficient performance, but not her criticism of the coaches, which she expressed in an interview in March. Varnish had quoted sexist statements by coach Shane Sutton , who is said to have said to her, among other things: "Go away and have a child." There is a "culture of fear". The Telegraph suggested that this could mean the end of her cycling career.

Varnish received the support of drivers Victoria Pendleton and Nicole Cooke in her criticism of Sutton for allegedly sexist statements . Shortly afterwards, Sutton was suspended by the British Association because there were further allegations that he had referred to Paralympic cyclists as "gimps" and "wobblies" (meaning "cripples")

British Cycling (BC) investigated the case; The result was that Sutton was exonerated from eight of Varnish's nine points of criticism. Nonetheless, Sutton resigned after being suspended shortly before. In December 2016, Jessica Varnish requested British Cycling to hand over her personal file in order to understand the background to this decision. The chairman of the British Rowing Federation British Rowing , Anne Marie Phelps, was commissioned to investigate the allegations of sexism, racism and preferential treatment. Their report concluded that the original BC report had been "furbished" and essential statements had been removed. The question remains whether the then BC board was able to run a national sports association.

In 2017, the association's newly appointed managing director, Julie Harrington, declared that Jess Varnish could return to the UK national rail team if she provided the necessary services. In 2018, Varnish sued British Cycling for compensation. Her argument was based on the fact that as a subsidized sportswoman she had labor rights. If the court shares their view, this could have far-reaching consequences for the support programs of the British association and negative consequences for the athletes. At a first hearing in December 2018, the association accused her of placing self-interest above the interests of the general public. Her lawsuit was dismissed in January and soon afterwards she became a mother. Varnish appealed the court ruling. In July 2020, the appeal was rejected by a labor court . It is not yet known whether Varnish is considering going to the next instance, the Court of Appeal .

successes

2007
  • silver Junior World Championship - Sprint
  • European champion Junior European Championship - Keirin
  • silver Junior European Championship - Sprint
2008
  • European champion Junior European Championship - Keirin, 500 meter time trial
  • bronze Junior European Championship - Sprint
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

Web links

Commons : Jessica Varnish  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Fotheringham: British Cycling under the spotlight after Jess Varnish allegations. In: theguardian.com. April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016 .
  2. ^ A b Jess Varnish: British cyclist wants to resume career after Shane Sutton controversy. In: bbc.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017 (English).
  3. ↑ British Cycling drops Jess Varnish from Olympic program on 'performance grounds' and denies it is payback for criticism. In: telegraph.co.uk. April 19, 2016, accessed April 21, 2016 .
  4. ^ Felix Mattis: Discrimination allegations: British association suspends Sutton. In: radsport-news.com. April 23, 2015, accessed April 27, 2016 .
  5. ↑ British Cycling Scandal - Discriminatory Statements. In: rad-net.de. April 27, 2016, accessed April 27, 2016 .
  6. ^ Independent review into British Cycling makes for 'uncomfortable reading'. In: Cycling News. March 10, 2017, accessed November 11, 2017 .
  7. ^ British Cycling chief opens the door to possible Jess Varnish return. In: Cycling News. October 24, 2017, accessed November 11, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Jessica Varnish legal case threatens Olympic hopefuls' funding. In: telegraph.co.uk. December 1, 2018, accessed December 31, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Jess Varnish tribunal: Ex-rider putting 'self interest' first, says British Cycling lawyer. In: bbc.com. Accessed December 31, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Chris Marshall-Bell: Former track sprinter Jess Varnish loses employment tribunal against British Cycling. In: Cycling Weekly. January 17, 2019, accessed February 6, 2019 .
  11. ^ Former GB cyclist Jess Varnish loses landmark employment case against British Cycling and UK Sport. In: telegraph.co.uk. January 16, 2019, accessed February 6, 2019 .
  12. ^ Former GB cyclist Jess Varnish appeals against employment tribunal defeat. skysports.com, February 19, 2015, accessed March 14, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Tom Cary: Jess Varnish loses employment tribunal appeal against British Cycling. In: telegraph.co.uk. July 14, 2020, accessed on August 13, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Varnish, Jessica
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Varnish, Jess
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH November 10, 1990
PLACE OF BIRTH Bromsgrove