Rosemary Stirling
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Women's athletics | ||
Representing United Kingdom | ||
European Championships | ||
1969 Athens | 4 × 400 m relay | |
1971 Helsinki | 800 metres | |
Representing Scotland | ||
Commonwealth Games | ||
1970 Edinburgh | 800m |
Rosemary Olivia Stirling (married name Wright) (born 11 December 1947 in Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand) is a former British sprinter and middle-distance runner.
She was born in New Zealand to Scottish parents and moved with her family to Wolverhampton, England as a teenager where she joined the Wolverhampton Harriers. At the age of 16 she was one of the best British female runners over 800 metres. In the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1966 in Kingston, Jamaica she competed for Scotland over 440 yards and 880 yards and finished in fourth place in both events. In 1969 she won the Bronze medal in the 400m at the European Indoor Games in Belgrade. She also competed at the European Athletics Championships in Athens, placing eighth in the 400 metres final and helping Great Britain win gold in the 4 x 400-metres relay in world record time (3:30.8).
At the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh she won gold in the 800 metres race. At the European Indoor Athletics Championships in 1971 in Sofia, she was awarded the 800m Bronze medal behind Hildegard Falck and Ileana Silai. She also won Bronze the same year at the European Championships in Helsinki. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich she finished seventh in the 800 metres with a personal best time of 2:00.15 that lasted as a UK record until 1979. In 1974, at the British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand she was a member of the Scottish relay team that finished fourth. At the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg she finished in fourth place in the 800 m.[1][2][3]
Rosemary married her English-born husband, Trevor Wright who ran for New Zealand, having met him while competing in Helsinki in 1971. She lived in Wolverhampton until the age of 34, when the couple moved to New Zealand.[4]
References
- ^ Sport Reference.com. Retrieved 26 June 2013
- ^ Hall of Fame Athletics. Retrieved 26 June 2013
- ^ Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 26 June 2013
- ^ Golden Girl Returns. Retrieved 26 June 2013
- 1947 births
- Living people
- British sprinters
- British middle-distance runners
- Female sprinters
- Female middle-distance runners
- Scottish athletes
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Scotland
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes of Great Britain
- New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom