- Raelene Boyle
Raelene Ann Boyle, AM, MBE, (born
24 June 1951 ),Australia n athlete, represented Australia at threeOlympic Games as asprinter , winning threesilver medal s. In 1998, Boyle was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by theNational Trust of Australia .Early life
Boyle was born on
24 June ,1951 , the daughter of Gilbert and Irene Boyle, in Coburg, asuburb ofMelbourne . She was educated at Coburg High School in Melbourne.porting career
After strong performances in the 1968 Australian Championships and Olympic trials, Boyle was selected to represent Australia at the
1968 Summer Olympics inMexico City , at the age of 16. At 17, she won a silver medal in the 200 metre sprint and placed 4th in the100 metres .Boyle competed in the
1970 British Commonwealth Games inEdinburgh , where she contributed to Australia's number one position on the medal tally with three gold medals, in the 100 and 200 metre sprints and the 4x100 metrerelay .At the 1972 Olympics in
Munich , Boyle collected two more silver medals, in the 100 metre and 200 metre sprints. In both races, she came second to East GermanRenate Stecher .In 1974, at the
Christchurch British Commonwealth Games, Boyle duplicated her results at the Edinburgh Games, winning three more gold medals in the same three events.At the 1976 Olympics in
Montreal , Boyle finished fourth in the final of the 100 metre sprint, but was disqualified from the 200 metre-race for making two false starts.Unfortunately, a
video replay later showed that she had not false started on her first start. However, Boyle did receive the honour of acting as the flag bearer for the Australian team, the first woman to do so.Boyle was unable to replicate her previous Commonwealth success at the
1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, winning only a silver medal in the 100 metre sprint before withdrawing from the 200m and relay due to injury..Boyle was selected to compete in the 1980 Olympics in
Moscow but eventually withdrew from the team after a long dispute within Australian sporting circles over whether to join the USA led boycott of the Games.Her final major competitive appearance was at the
1982 Commonwealth Games inBrisbane , where she won gold in the 400 metre sprint, and silver in the 4x400 metre relay.Through her successful career, Boyle won seven gold and two silver medals at the
Commonwealth Games , in addition to her three silver medals at theOlympic Games .Some people consider Boyle unlucky not to have won Olympic gold as some athletes who beat her were later revealed to be drug cheats.Fact|date=August 2008
Boyle currently lives on the Sunshine Coast,
Queensland ,Australia with her companion.Honours
On
15 June ,1974 , Boyle was appointed an MBE. Also in 1974, theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation selected Boyle as the Sportsperson of the Year. In 1988, Boyle was inducted into theSport Australia Hall of Fame .25 September 1989 saw her awarded theDouglas Wilkie Medal by theAnti-Football League , for doing the least for football in the best and fairest manner. TheQueen's Birthday Honours of 2007 saw her appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia.ee also
*
List of Olympic medalists in athletics (women)
*Australian athletics champions (Women) External links
* Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation [http://www.sportingchance.com.au]
References
* Australian Women's Archive Project – [http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0176b.htm Raelene Boyle]
* Elite Sports Australia – [http://www.elitesports.com.au/esp_site/main/talent/athlete_profiles/024.html Raelene Boyle]
* National Australia Bank - [http://www.national.com.au/Sponsorships/0,,63417,00.html Ambassadors: Raelene Boyle]
* Graham Thomas – [http://www.geocities.com/geetee/bios/raelene.html Biography of Raelene Boyle]
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