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Joyce Smith

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This article is about the athlete Joyce Smith. For the member of the Vernons Girls, see The Vernons Girls.

Joyce Smith
MBE
Personal information
Full nameJoyce Esther Smith
Born (1937-10-26) 26 October 1937 (age 87)
Stoke Newington, England
Height1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)
Sport
SportRunning
Event(s)1500 metres
3000 metres
marathon

Joyce Esther Smith MBE (née Byatt, born 26 October 1937)[1] is a British former long-distance runner. She broke the world record in the 3000 metres in 1971 and is a three-time medallist at the International/World Cross Country Championships, including winning in 1972. She went on to twice win the London Marathon, becoming the first British woman in history to run under 2:30 when winning in 1981 with 2:29:57, before further improving the British record to 2:29:43 when winning in 1982. She also competed in the 1500 metres at the 1972 Munich Olympics and finished 11th in the marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, aged 46.

Biography

Smith was born in Stoke Newington, London, and began running competitively in the 1950s, at which time the longest distance for women in international competitions was 800 metres. She won the English National Crosscountry Championship (AAA) in 1959 and 1960.[2] In 1965, she told Athletics Weekly that she intended to continue competing "for two more years at the most" and stopped running competitively in 1968.[3]

Smith returned to competitive running in 1969, and broke the world record for the 3000 metres distance in 1971,[4] and won the bronze medal in 1971, the gold medal in 1972 and the silver medal in 1973 in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.[5] She reached the semi-final of the 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympic Games. In 1973, she won her third National Crosscountry Championship.[2] She won the bronze medal in 3000 m at the European Athletics Championships in 1974.

In 1978, she retired from track running after setting a new world record for 3000 m in the age group W40 of 9:11.2 minutes, which was broken 27 years later,[6] and ran her first marathon in 1979, beating the previous British record held by Rosemary Cox by nine minutes and seventeen seconds in a time of 2:41:37.[7]

In 1979, she won the Avon International Marathon in Waldniel. In 1979 and 1980, she won the first two editions of the Tokyo International Women's Marathon. In 1980, she set a new British 25 kilometre record of 1:28:18 in Bruges, which was also the new W40 world record which was broken 24 years later.[8]

In 1981, she won the first London Marathon in 2:29:57, becoming the first British woman and the first woman over 40 to complete the distance in less than two and a half hours. A year later, she won the event in 2:29:43, again setting a new British record, and becoming the oldest woman to win the race at 44 years, 195 days, a record which has not yet been broken.[9]

In the first World Athletics Championships in 1983 in Helsinki, she finished ninth in the marathon. In 1984, she became the oldest female Olympic athlete by running in the first women's Olympic marathon, and finished eleventh at the age of 46.

She retired from competitive running in 1986 after setting a new W45 record for the ten-mile distance of 55:33.[10]

In the 1984 New Year Honours, Smith was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to athletics.[11][12] She and her husband, Bryan, are on the board of trustees of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.[13] Bryan is a marathon coach who also organises the Mini London Marathon.[14]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Great Britain and  England
1971 International Cross Country Championships San Sebastián, Spain 3rd 4.5 km 11:24
1972 International Cross Country Championships Cambridge, United Kingdom 1st 4.5 km 16:11
Olympic Games Munich, Germany 12th (sf) 1500 m 4:09.4
1973 World Cross Country Championships Waregem, Belgium 2nd 4 km 13:58
1974 World Cross Country Championships Monza, Italy 7th 4 km 13:04
European Championships Rome, Italy 3rd 3000 m 8:57.39
1978 World Cross Country Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 9th 4.7 km 17:23
1979 Avon International Women's Marathon Waldniel, Germany 1st Marathon 2:36:27
Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 1st Marathon 2:37:48
1980 Avon International Women's Marathon London, United Kingdom 7th Marathon 2:41:22
Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 1st Marathon 2:30:27
1981 London Marathon London, United Kingdom 1st Marathon 2:29:57
1982 Osaka International Ladies Marathon Osaka, Japan 5th Marathon 2:35:34
London Marathon London, United Kingdom 1st Marathon 2:29:43
1983 Osaka International Ladies Marathon Osaka, Japan 8th Marathon 2:40:01
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 9th Marathon 2:34:27
1984 Nagoya International Women's Marathon Nagoya, Japan 6th Marathon 2:38:55
Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 11th Marathon 2:32:48
1985 Osaka International Ladies Marathon Osaka, Japan 7th Marathon 2:38:09
1986 Osaka International Ladies Marathon Osaka, Japan 14th Marathon 2:42:36
(sf) Indicates overall position in semifinal round

References

  1. ^ "Joyce Smith". Athletes. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  2. ^ a b "National Crosscountry Champions (AAA) for England". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. 13 March 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  3. ^ Turnbull, Simon (14 April 2002). "London Marathon: First lady is still the one and only". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  4. ^ "World Record Progressions - Track".
  5. ^ "Untitled".
  6. ^ http://www.arrs.run/VR1_O3K.htm. Retrieved 17 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Untitled".
  8. ^ http://www.arrs.run/VR1_R25K.htm. Retrieved 17 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link]
  9. ^ "Tomescu-Dita's Run for the Ages". News and Notes: Women's Olympic Marathon. World Marathon Majors. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  10. ^ http://www.arrs.run/VR2_R10M.htm. Retrieved 17 November 2008. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Athletics Club History". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  12. ^ United Kingdom list: "No. 49583". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1983. p. 16.
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Breakout Newsletter" (PDF). Royal Holloway University of London. January 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008. [dead link]
Sporting positions
Preceded by Women's Fastest Marathon Race
1980 		Succeeded by
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