Anita Lonsbrough

Anita Lonsbrough MBE (born 10 August 1941 in Huddersfield) is a former swimmer from Great Britain who won a Gold Medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics.

wimming career

At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff she won Gold in the 220 Yards Breaststroke in a time of 02:53, and a second Gold in the medley relay.

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, on 27 August 1960, at the age of 19, she won Gold in the 200m breaststroke in 02:49.5 ahead of West Germany's Wiltrud Urselmann (02:50.0), setting a new world record time. She was one of only two GB gold medallists that year, the other being Don Thompson in the 50 kilometre walk.

She would also be the last British woman to win olympic gold in swimming until Rebecca Adlington gained the gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics, 48 years later [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/swimming/7553179.stm Adlington snatches swimming gold] , "BBC Sport", Monday, 11 August 2008, 09:04 GMT] .

At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth she won three Golds: 110 yards breaststroke in 01:21; 220 yards breaststroke in 02:52; and 440 yards individual medley in 05:39.

At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo she came seventh in the 400 m individual medley

Biography

Lonsbrough was a Treasurer's Office clerk employed at the Huddersfield Town Hall. She won her first Gold Medal for swimming in the 1958 Empire Games in Cardiff. Five world records and seven gold medals followed until her retirement in 1964. At one time she held the Olympic Gold Medal, Empire and European medals at the same time.

She currently is a sports commentator and journalist for "The Daily Telegraph", under the name Anita Lonsbrough-Porter.She is married to cycling commentator and former leading British professional track cyclist Hugh Porter; they met travelling to Tokyo for the 1964 Summer Olympics and married in 1965. [Cite news
url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/rides/staffordshire_and_shropshire_with_hugh_porter_article_196395.html
title=STAFFORDSHIRE AND SHROPSHIRE WITH HUGH PORTER
date=2008-03-06
author=Andy Jones
work=Cycling Weekly
accessdate=2008-08-17] [Cite news
url=http://www.irishnews.com/articles/597/5903/2008/8/12/595028_354058319785Nochance.html
title=No chance to relax in the Water Cube. The Beijing Olympics
author=Nigel Ringland
date=2008-08-12
work=Irish News
location=Belfast
accessdate=2008-08-17]

Honours

Anita Lonsbrough was the first female Olympic Flag bearer for Great Britain when she carried the flag in the opening ceremony of the 1964 Summer Olympics. She was the first woman winner of BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1962.

She was awarded an MBE in 1963 for services to swimming.

In 1983 she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

ee also

*Swimming at the 1960 Summer Olympics

External links/References

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics2000/bbc_team/859464.stm BBC Sport - "Rider's legends: Anita Lonsbrough"]
* [http://www.olympics.org.uk/gamesabout.aspx?gt=S&ga=15 British Olympic Association - Rome 1960]
* [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LONSBANI01 Olympic database]
* [http://www.ishof.org/honorees/83/83alonsbrough.html International Swimming Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp International Olympic Committee results database]