Charlie Dobson

Charlie Dobson
	Dobson in 2022
Personal information
Born	20 October 1999 (age 25); Colchester, Essex, England
Alma mater	Loughborough University
Sport
Sport	Sprinting
Event(s)	200m, 400m
Club	Colchester Harriers
Achievements and titles
Regional finals	2022
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Great Britain
Olympic Games
World Championships
IAAF World U20 Championships
Diamond League
European Championships

Charlie Dobson (born 20 October 1999) is a British sprinter, specialising in the 400 metres and the 4 x 400 metres relay. An Olympic bronze medalist and European champion in the relay, Dobson made his senior indivudual breakthrough in 2024; he won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships, and won the 400 metres event at the 2024 British Athletics Championships. In September 2024 he won his first individual and global title, when he was the surprise winner in the 400 metres final of the 2024 Diamond League in Brussels.

Personal life

Dobson is from Colchester, Essex, England.^[2] He studied at St Benedict's Catholic College and Colchester Sixth Form College.^[3] As of 2022, he is a student of aeronautical engineering at Loughborough University.^[2]^[4]

Career

Dobson competes for Colchester Harriers Athletics Club.^[2] He won his first international competition, which was the Loughborough International meeting.^[5] He came second in the 200 metres event at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships,^[2]^[5] finishing behind teammate Jona Efoloko.^[5] Dobson had set personal best times in the heat and semi-finals of the competition.^[6]

In 2020, Dobson set the British Universities & Colleges Sport record for the 60 metres event.^[3] In 2021, Dobson ran the 400 metres event once. His finishing time was the joint fastest by a Briton that year, tied with Matthew Hudson-Smith.^[4] He was selected in the British team for the 2021 World Athletics Relays,^[7] but injured himself prior to the event. The injury also prevented him from attempting to qualify for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics;^[4] he had been hoping to make the British 4 x 400 metres team at the Games.^[2] He spent 10 months out with injury before returning in February 2022 at the Loughborough Indoor Open.^[8]

In April 2022, Dobson ran a 200 metres event in 20.19, the 11th fastest time by a Briton in history.^[4] Later in the year, he ran a wind-assisted 19.99 seconds to beat Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.^[4] He was part of the British team that won the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2022 European Athletics Championships, alongside Matthew Hudson-Smith, Alex Haydock-Wilson and Lewis Davey. It was his first major relay.^[9] Dobson also finished fourth in the individual 200 metres event.^[9]^[8]

Dobson set a new personal best of 44.38s to win a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Italy, on 10 June 2024.^[10] Later that month he won his first national 400 metres title at the 2024 British Athletics Championships to secure a place at the Paris Olympics^[11] where he went out in the semi-finals of the individual event^[12] before claiming a bronze medal as part of the Great Britain 4x400 metre relay team.^[13]