- Marlene Mathews
-
Medal record Competitor for 
AustraliaWomen's Athletics Olympic Games Bronze Melbourne 1956 100 metres Bronze Melbourne 1956 200 metres Commonwealth Games Gold Cardiff 1958 100 yards Gold Cardiff 1958 220 yards Silver Cardiff 1958 4x110y relay Marlene Judith Mathews AO (born 14 July 1934 in Sydney, New South Wales) is a former Australian Olympic sprinter. She has been described as 'one of Australia's greatest and unluckiest' champions.[1]
Contents
Early career
Mathews attended Fort Street High School in Sydney and began competing in athletics in the late 1940s.
At the 1950 Australian Championships, Marlene placed fourth, behind Shirley Strickland, in the 80m Hurdles and ran in the winning state relay team,[2] but was not selected for the 1950 British Empire Games team.
A few days after her 16th birthday at the NSW Championships, she ran a great race at the New South Wales Championships 100 yards final, placing second to world record-holder Marjorie Jackson and beating four members of the Australian Empire Games team, including Olympic medalist Strickland.[3]
Mathews was considered a certainty to gain selection to the 1952 Summer Olympics before a leg injury forced her out of competition[4]
International career
In 1954, recovered from her injuries, she ran second to Jackson in the National 100 yards championship (and third in the 220 yards)[2] and was duly selected to run in her first international championships at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver. She was unlucky again, breaking down injured in her heat of the 100 yards.[2]
At the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, she won two bronze medals,[2] over 100 metres and 200 metres. In both races she was beaten by countrywoman Betty Cuthbert (gold) and German Christa Stubnick (silver).
In a controversial move, she was left out of the gold-medal winning Australian 4 x 100 metres relay team as she was 'not considered a good relay runner" but soon after the Games she assisted an Australian team to world records for 4 x 200 metres and 4 x 220 yards relay events.[5]
She proved her versatility in the sprint events by setting a new world record at 400 metres with 57.0 seconds on 6 January 1957.
On 20 March 1958, at the Australian Championships, she set a new world record over 100 yards with 10.3 seconds, and two days later she ran 220 yards in 23.4 seconds and set another world record.[2] In both races, she defeated world-record holder and Olympic champion Cuthbert.
At the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Mathews took out the 100 yards and 220 yards, again beating Cuthbert. She was ranked #1 in the world for both 100 metres[6] and 200 metres[7] in both 1957 and 1958.
Mathews' final competition was at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where she was eliminated in the 100 metres semi-finals.[2]
Personal Details/Honours
Mathews married fireman Barry Willard in 1958 but they later separated.
She was an Assistant Manager of the Australian Olympic Team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.[1]
Marlene Mathews became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1979 for her services to athletics, and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1999.
Mathews was inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.[1]
A Sydney Ferry, launched in 1993 has been named after Mathews[8]
Statistics
Personal Bests[3]
Event Time Wind Place Date 100 y 10.3 0.0 Sydney, Australia 20 March 1958 100 m 11.5 - Sydney, Australia 10 March 1956 200 m 23.4 0.0 Sydney, Australia 22 March 1958 220 y 23.4 0.0 Sydney, Australia 22 March 1958 400 m 57.0 - Sydney, Australia 6 January 1957 440 y 57.0 - Sydney, Australia 6 January 1957 World Records[3]
Event Time Place Date 100 y 10.3 Sydney, Australia 20 March 1958 200 m 23.4 Sydney, Australia 22 March 1958 400 m 57.0 Sydney, Australia 6 January 1957 440 y 57.0 Sydney, Australia 6 January 1957 4x200m 1-36.3 Sydney, Australia 5 December 1956 4x220y 1-36.3 Sydney, Australia 5 December 1956 World Rankings - 100m[6] and 200m[7] - rankings commenced in 1956.
Year Event Ranking 1956 100m 3 200m 4 1957 100m 1 200m 1 1958 100m 1 200m 1 1959 100m 2 1960 100m 9 Australian Championships Record[2] - prior to 1963 Championships were held every two years
Year 100y 220y 80m Hurdles 4x110y relay 1950 - - 4 1 1952 - - - - 1954 2 3 - 1 1956 3 2 - 1 1958 1 1 - 1 1960 3 DNQ - 2 References
- ^ a b c Australian Biographical Database profile - Marlene Mathews
- ^ a b c d e f g Athletics Australia profile
- ^ a b c Athletics Gold profile
- ^ Sports Australia Hall of Fame profile - Marlene Mathews
- ^ Australian Olympic Committee - Marlene Mathews vignette
- ^ a b Track & Field News World Rankings-100m
- ^ a b Track & Field News World Rankings-200m
- ^ Ferries of Sydney - Marlene Mathews
Commonwealth Champions in Women's 100 m 1934 – 1966: 100 yards • 1970 – present: 100 metres 1934: Eileen Hiscock (ENG) • 1938: Decima Norman (AUS) • 1950 – 1954: Marjorie Nelson (AUS) • 1958: Marlene Mathews-Willard (AUS) • 1962: Dorothy Hyman (ENG) • 1966: Dianne Burge (AUS) • 1970 – 1974: Raelene Boyle (AUS) • 1978: Sonia Lannaman (ENG) • 1982: Angella Issajenko (CAN) • 1986: Heather Oakes (ENG) • 1990: Merlene Ottey (JAM) • 1994: Mary Onyali (NGR) • 1998: Chandra Sturrup (BAH) • 2002: Debbie Ferguson (BAH) • 2006: Sheri-Ann Brooks (JAM) • 2010: Natasha Mayers (VIN)
1934 – 1966: 220 yards • 1970 – present: 200 metres 1934: Eileen Hiscock (ENG) • 1938: Decima Norman (AUS) • 1950 – 1954: Marjorie Nelson (AUS) • 1958: Marlene Mathews-Willard (AUS) • 1962: Dorothy Hyman (ENG) • 1966: Dianne Burge (AUS) • 1970 – 1974: Raelene Boyle (AUS) • 1978: Denise Boyd (AUS) • 1982: Merlene Ottey (JAM) • 1986: Angella Issajenko (CAN) • 1990: Merlene Ottey (JAM) • 1994: Cathy Freeman (AUS) • 1998: Nova Peris-Kneebone (AUS) • 2002: Debbie Ferguson (BAH) • 2006: Sherone Simpson (JAM) • 2010: Cydonie Mothersille (CAY)
Categories:- 1934 births
- Living people
- Australian sprinters
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes of Australia
- Olympic bronze medalists for Australia
- Sportswomen from Sydney
- Officers of the Order of Australia
- Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
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