Betty Cuthbert
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
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1956 Melbourne | 100 metres |
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1956 Melbourne | 200 metres |
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1956 Melbourne | 4x100 m relay |
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1964 Tokyo | 400 metres |
Elizabeth ("Betty") Cuthbert (born April 20, 1938 in Merrylands[1], New South Wales) is an Australian athlete, and a four-fold Olympic champion.
Betty Alyse Cuthbert sisters with Madeleine Carlisle (now married) began sprinting in high school. Her father owned a plant nursery and young Betty loved running between the rows of plants barefoot. At age 18, with the 1956 Summer Olympics to be held in Melbourne, Cuthbert set a World Record in the 200 m, making her a big favourite for a gold in that event. Cuthbert first reached the final of the 100 m, while the Australian World Record holder Shirley Strickland de la Hunty was eliminated in the heats. Cuthbert won the final and was now the big favourite for the 200 m title. She lived up to the expectations, and became the Australian "Golden Girl". A third gold medal for Cuthbert came when she ran the final leg on in the 4 x 100 m final, which the Australian team won in a new World Record.
Cuthbert also competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics, but disappointed when she was eliminated in the heats of the 100 m; subsequently, she retired from the sports.
Her retirement didn't last long, for she returned at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth. Afterwards, she concentrated on the 400 m, and competed in that event in the 1964 Summer Olympics, when it was on the Olympic program for the first time. Though not impressive in the heats, Cuthbert won the title for her fourth Olympic gold medal, beating Ann Packer of Great Britain into second. She subsequently retired from the sport.
She was one of the bearers of the Olympic Torch at the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She carried the Olympic Torch at the stadium, as one of the runners for the final segment, before the lighting of the Olympic Flame.
Betty Cuthbert grew up in the Sydney suburb of Ermington, where she attended Ermington Public School[2]. The main street of Ermington shopping centre is called Betty Cuthbert Avenue in her honour[3].
She has multiple sclerosis.
References
- ^ Australian Women's Archives Project
- ^ Anna (class 4S), Ermington Public School History, Ermington Public School Website (accessed 19 June 2006)
- ^ Gregory's Street Directory, 59th Edition 1995, Map 310 B2
- Prentis, Malcolm. "Great Australian Presbyterians: The Game". Uniting Church in Australia. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
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