Melissa Courtney Bryant is a British long and mid-distance runner. She set the record for the fastest 3000m in this year’s edition of the World Athletics Indoor Tour. It was her first indoor tour of the year, and she clocked 8:28.69, which is also the second-fastest in British history.
The World Athletics Indoor Tour has been ongoing and will conclude in March 2025. It offers several categories for both men and women, and the athlete with the highest score at the end of the tour is declared the winner. They will also be offered a wild card entry to the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
With her current record, she is a strong contender for the title. So, let’s look at who Courtney Bryant is and her past achievements.
The Inspiring Journey of Courtney Bryant
Courtney Bryant was born in Poole, Dorset and was passionate about swimming as a child but later on switched to running. She trained under her coach Mark Pauley and her father who coincidently shared his first name with her coach, Mark. She gives credit to her partner and also an athlete Ashley Bryant for encouraging her.
She won BUCS Championships indoor and outdoor in 2013 in 800m and 1500m races. She also bagged the Welsh title in 2014 and bronze in the British Indoor Championships in the same year. She made her big international debut in the 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships, though could not perform well. She teamed up with Cameron Boyek, Sarah McDonald, and Tom Marshall to win the title of the 2017 European Cross Country Championships.
She represented Wales in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and finished at her personal best time of 4:03.44, this record helped her win a Bronze in 1500m. She was awarded a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in March 2019. In December 2022, she set a record of 15 minutes 31 seconds beating Samantha Harrison’s female best mark.
On 3 February 2025, she participated in the final event of the New Balance Grand Prix, World Athletics Indoor Tour in the 3000m race and set a new record for this year. She was calm-composed and stayed behind Elise Cranny for the first half of the race. She exploded off the line in the later half of the race covering the last 200m in 31.62 which is also the second-fastest lap taken by any woman throughout the race. Her brilliant strategy helped her set a new record by covering 3000m in a mere eight minutes and 28.69 seconds.
Personal Bests of Courtney Bryant
| Category | Time | Year |
| 800m | 2:04.03 | 2017 |
| 1500m | 4:01.81 | 2020 |
| Mile run | 4:23.15 | 2017 |
| 3000m | 8:39.20 | 2018 |
| 5000m | 14:53.82 | 2019 |
