Champion British fell runner Lauren Jeska was sentenced today at Birmingham Crown Court to 18 years in jail for the attempted murder of UK Athletics official Ralph Knibbs in March 2016.

Jeska is a transgender athlete who was born a man but competed and won national titles as a woman. At the time of the attack, she was facing scrutiny for not providing proper evidence of her hormone levels and whether or not she should be allowed to compete as a female.

On March 22, 2016, Jeska entered the UK Athletics office in Birmingham with three large kitchen knives (one 12cm, one 13cm, plus a bread knife reportedly not used in the attack, according to The Guardian) concealed in her backpack. She signed herself in at the front desk, and a receptionist escorted her to the 52-year-old Knibbs, the UK Athletics head of human resources. Jeska stabbed him in the head and neck -- the latter blow nicking his carotid artery and jugular vein, according to Wales Online -- before the former rugby star could respond. He did manage to grab her wrists, as two other men -- accountant Timothy Begley and finance director Kevan Taylor -- rushed to Knibbs' aid and were subsequently also wounded. It took half a dozen other workers to detain Jeska on the ground before authorities arrived.

Knibbs suffered a stroke during the attack that has left him with a permanent partial blindness and nerve damage.

Jeska, 41, ran for the Todmorden Harriers of West Yorkshire. She is a three-time winner of the English Championships series (2010-12) and also took top honors in the British Championships series in 2012. Fell running is sometimes known as hill or mountain running, with steep descents and ascents a primary characteristic of races. The sport overlaps with orienteering, and athletes must be able to navigate treacherous environments to finish first.

Her race results had been declared null and void early last year after Jeska failed to provide UK Athletics with relevant samples of her testosterone levels. The week before the attack, Knibbs had gone to visit Jeska at her home in Wales to discuss the issue.

In a statement released by West Midlands Police, Detective Sergeant Sally Olsen said: "We understand that Jeska had been asked to provide further evidence of hormone levels after historical complaints to UK Athletics that she had an unfair advantage competing in women's events because she had been born a man. The governing body's policy required the athlete to take a blood test but she took exception to this and feared being unable to compete.

"Jeska carried out a violent and unprovoked attack on a man whose sole objective was to enable her to compete.

"She will now have plenty of time behind bars to contemplate the devastating consequences of her actions."