Light the Torch – Beijing Olympics and Other Olympic News

Meet Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, Sprint & Relay Specialist

by Sasha Manuel on July 19th, 2007

Sprint and Relay Specialist Shirley Strickland de la Hunty was known to be a great athlete, competing in the sport, athletics, mainly in relay. She is also a record-breaker. She is the first woman to win seven Olympic medals and to successfully defend her Olympic title in the 80m hurdles (1952-1956).

Here’s a brief overview of career as an athlete and her stint in the Olympics:

In three successive Olympic Games, Shirley Strickland competed in the 4×100m relay:

London 1948: Shirley’s first Olympic Games, at the age of 23. The Australian women had to make do with silver behind the Dutch team, for whom the amazing Fanny Blankers-Koen made the difference in the final leg.

Helsinki 1952: The Australian women set a new world and Olympic record in the 4×100m heats. They were thus favourites for the final, but just when they were ahead, everything changed with the last baton change between Marjorie Jackson and Winsome Cripps: the baton fell, and the victory was lost. This was a huge disappointment for the Australian team, which finished fifth.

Melbourne 1956: This time, Shirley and her team-mates ran a faultless race. They won the final ahead of the British and American women, setting a new world and Olympic record in the process. Strickland finished her Olympic relay career on a high note, with a gold medal.

Strickland was the first Australian woman to win a medal in athletics during the 1948 Olympics Games in London. She also had the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch in the Olympic Stadium during the 2000 Sydney Games.

Source

Share This

Related Stories

• Press Release | Torino 2006: Six Austrian Athletes Declared Permanently Ineligible
• Today’s Lineup - February 22, 2006
• US Men Disqualified in 4×100m Relay

POSTED IN: Athletics, Light the Torch, Olympians, Olympic Torch, World Records