Betty Cuthbert
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Cuthbert AM
, MBE
(born 20 April 1938 in Merrylands
, New South Wales
) is an Australian athlete, and a fourfold Olympic
champion.
During her career, she achieved by setting world records for 60 metres, 100 yards, 200 metres, 220 yards and 440 yards. Cuthbert also contributed to Australian relay teams completing a win in the 4x100 metres, 4x110 yards, 4x200 metres and 4x220 yards.
At the age of 18, with the 1956 Summer Olympics
to be held in Melbourne
, Cuthbert set a World Record in the 200 metres, making her one of the favorites for a gold in that event. Cuthbert first reached the finals of the 100 metres, setting an Olympic record of 11.4 seconds in her heat, while the Australian World Record holder Shirley Strickland de la Hunty was eliminated.
Cuthbert won the final and was then the big favourite for the 200 metres title. She lived up to the expectations, and became the Australian "Golden Girl". A third gold medal for Cuthbert came when she ran the final leg on in the 4 x 100 metres final, which the Australian team won in a new World Record.
During 1958 Cuthbert set world records for 100 and 220 yards but was beaten in both events by arch-rival and double-Olympic bronze medalist Marlene Mathews at the Australian Championships. Later in the year, at the Empire Games
at Cardiff, Cuthbert could only place fourth in the 100y and second in the 220y, again behind Mathews.
She set a world record at 440 yards, which was broken in September 1959 by Maria Leontyavna Itkina
of the Soviet Union.
In the lead-up to the 1960 Summer Olympics
, Cuthbert set a world 220 yards and 200 metres record of 23.2 seconds in winning the Australian championships. At the Rome Games, she suffered from injury and was eliminated from the heats of the 100 metres. Subsequently, she retired from the sport of track & field.
Her retirement did not last long, though, for she returned at the 1962 Commonwealth Games
in Perth, Western Australia
, helping Australia to a gold medal in the sprint relay.
Afterwards, she concentrated on the 400 metres, and she competed in that event in the 1964 Summer Olympics
, when it was on the Olympic program for women for the first time. Though not impressive in the heats, Cuthbert won the title for her fourth Olympic gold medal, beating out Ann Packer
of Great Britain. She subsequently verified her retirement for good.
of the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney, New South Wales
, Australia. She carried the Olympic Torch at the stadium, as one of the runners for the final segment, before the lighting of the Olympic Flame
by Cathy Freeman
.
, where she attended Ermington Public School. As a teenager, she attended Macarthur Girls High School
. The main street of Ermington shopping centre is called Betty Cuthbert Avenue in her honour.
She has multiple sclerosis
and now lives in Western Australia
. In 2010, Betty Cuthbert had a rose named after her.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 20 April 1938 in Merrylands
Merrylands, New South Wales
Merrylands is a suburb in western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Merrylands is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Holroyd...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
) is an Australian athlete, and a fourfold Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
champion.
During her career, she achieved by setting world records for 60 metres, 100 yards, 200 metres, 220 yards and 440 yards. Cuthbert also contributed to Australian relay teams completing a win in the 4x100 metres, 4x110 yards, 4x200 metres and 4x220 yards.
At the age of 18, with the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
to be held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Cuthbert set a World Record in the 200 metres, making her one of the favorites for a gold in that event. Cuthbert first reached the finals of the 100 metres, setting an Olympic record of 11.4 seconds in her heat, while the Australian World Record holder Shirley Strickland de la Hunty was eliminated.
Cuthbert won the final and was then the big favourite for the 200 metres title. She lived up to the expectations, and became the Australian "Golden Girl". A third gold medal for Cuthbert came when she ran the final leg on in the 4 x 100 metres final, which the Australian team won in a new World Record.
During 1958 Cuthbert set world records for 100 and 220 yards but was beaten in both events by arch-rival and double-Olympic bronze medalist Marlene Mathews at the Australian Championships. Later in the year, at the Empire Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
at Cardiff, Cuthbert could only place fourth in the 100y and second in the 220y, again behind Mathews.
She set a world record at 440 yards, which was broken in September 1959 by Maria Leontyavna Itkina
Maria Leontyavna Itkina
Maria Leontyavna Itkina is a former Soviet runner and world record holder.-Personal life:Itkina is Jewish, and was born in Roslavl, Smolensk, Russia, and later lived in Minsk.-Running career:...
of the Soviet Union.
In the lead-up to the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
, Cuthbert set a world 220 yards and 200 metres record of 23.2 seconds in winning the Australian championships. At the Rome Games, she suffered from injury and was eliminated from the heats of the 100 metres. Subsequently, she retired from the sport of track & field.
Her retirement did not last long, though, for she returned at the 1962 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, helping Australia to a gold medal in the sprint relay.
Afterwards, she concentrated on the 400 metres, and she competed in that event in the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
, when it was on the Olympic program for women for the first time. Though not impressive in the heats, Cuthbert won the title for her fourth Olympic gold medal, beating out Ann Packer
Ann Packer
Ann Elizabeth Packer MBE is a former British sprinter, hurdler and long jumper. She won a gold medal in the 800 metres at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo....
of Great Britain. She subsequently verified her retirement for good.
Sydney 2000
Cuthbert was one of the bearers of the Olympic Torch at the Opening Ceremony2000 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics was described by IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch as the most beautiful ceremony the world has ever seen. Held on the evening of Friday 15 September 2000, the Opening Ceremony represented everything Australian, from sea creatures and flora/fauna...
of the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia. She carried the Olympic Torch at the stadium, as one of the runners for the final segment, before the lighting of the Olympic Flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
by Cathy Freeman
Cathy Freeman
Catherine Astrid Salome "Cathy" Freeman, OAM is former Australian sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, at which she lit the Olympic Flame.Freeman was the first ever Aboriginal...
.
Personal details
Betty Cuthbert grew up in the Sydney suburb of ErmingtonErmington, New South Wales
Ermington is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Ermington is located 19 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. Ermington lies on the northern bank of the Parramatta River.-Aboriginal culture:The area now...
, where she attended Ermington Public School. As a teenager, she attended Macarthur Girls High School
Macarthur Girls High School
Macarthur Girls High School is situated on the Parramatta River next to Parramatta City, New South Wales, Australia. The school was built in 1934 with later additions in 1955 and 1975...
. The main street of Ermington shopping centre is called Betty Cuthbert Avenue in her honour.
She has multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
and now lives in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. In 2010, Betty Cuthbert had a rose named after her.
Personal bests
Personal Bests - outdoor| Event | Time | Wind | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Metres | 7.2 | Sydney | 27 February 60 | |
| 100 Yards | 10.4 | Sydney | 1 March 58 | |
| 100 Metres | 11.4 | Melbourne | 24 November 56 | |
| 200 Metres | 23.2 | Sydney | 16 September 56 | |
| 220 Yards | 23.2 | Hobart | 7 March 60 | |
| 400 Metres | 52.01 | Tokyo | 17 October 64 | |
| 440 Yards | 53.3 | Brisbane | 23 March 63 |
World records
Individual| Event | Time | Wind | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Metres | 7.2 |