Beverley Goddard
Encyclopedia
Beverley Lanita Callender (née Goddard) (born 28 August 1956) is a British
athlete who competed for Great Britain and Reading Athletic Club
mainly in the 100 metres
200 metres and 4x100m Relay.
She represented Great Britain in the 1980 Summer Olympics
held in Moscow
in the 4 x 100 metres where she won the bronze medal with her team mates Heather Hunte
, Kathy Smallwood-Cook and Sonia Lannaman
there they set a British Record which still stands almost 30 years on.
She also competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
also in the 4 x 100 metres where she again won the bronze medal with her team mates Simone Jacobs
, Kathy Smallwood-Cook and Heather Oakes
.
The 1983 GB relay team of Joan Baptiste
, Kathy Cook
, Beverley and Shirley Thomas
won a silver in the first ever World Athletics Championship sprint relay final. Beverley ran a superb leg however the favourites the GDR romped home by nearly a second.
In fact the Great Britain women's 4x100 m relay team never lost out on a major championship medal from 1978- 1984 including European and Commonwealth honours.
Beverley usually ran the third leg and became a specialist in this position, as is evident all her major medals came as a member of the sprint relay team. Modern U.K Women's sprint relay teams have not come close to emulating these achievements. All the more remarkable as many of their rivals at this time were competing illegally.
Beverley was a rare breed of Athlete who individually were not as effective as when they were competing in a relay. Her PB's were not World Class, but her medal haul as a sprint relay runner are outstanding. Former 400 m runner Phil Brown (athlete)
, who coincidentally also competed for Great Britain
was also a phenomenal 4X 400m relay anchor leg
runner though as an individual was never a high achiever.
Beverley a teacher, is still active at Reading Athletic Club and is found each week coaching athletes there.
Beverley's son is hoping to run at the 2012 Olympics
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
athlete who competed for Great Britain and Reading Athletic Club
Reading Athletic Club
Reading Athletic Club, based in Reading, Berkshire, is one of the oldest and longest established athletic clubs in the United Kingdom. They officially formed in November 1881, however records show that they were one of the inaugural clubs that formed the governing body of athletics at that time,...
mainly in the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
200 metres and 4x100m Relay.
She represented Great Britain in the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in the 4 x 100 metres where she won the bronze medal with her team mates Heather Hunte
Heather Hunte
Heather Oakes is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She was born in Hackney, London and joined the Haringey Athletics Club...
, Kathy Smallwood-Cook and Sonia Lannaman
Sonia Lannaman
Sonia May Lannaman is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She competed in her first Olympics in 1972 where she set a British junior record of 11.45 sec. In 1973 she became European junior champion winning gold in the 100 metres followed by a bronze in the 4 x 100 metres relay...
there they set a British Record which still stands almost 30 years on.
She also competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
also in the 4 x 100 metres where she again won the bronze medal with her team mates Simone Jacobs
Simone Jacobs
Simmone Jacobs is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. Simone began her career at Reading Athletic Club, where she was encouraged by two senior members, Kathy Smallwood-Cook and Beverley Goddard.She competed for Great Britain in the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles in...
, Kathy Smallwood-Cook and Heather Oakes
Heather Hunte
Heather Oakes is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She was born in Hackney, London and joined the Haringey Athletics Club...
.
The 1983 GB relay team of Joan Baptiste
Joan Baptiste
Joan Jeanetta Baptiste is a retired British sprinter who competed mainly in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Her best result was a silver medal in the very first World Championship sprint relay final, she ran the first leg on a team that included Kathy Cook, Beverley Callendar and Shirley Thomas...
, Kathy Cook
Kathy Cook
Kathryn Jane Cook is one of the most successful female sprinters in British athletics history....
, Beverley and Shirley Thomas
Shirley Thomas
Shirley Thomas is the name of:*Shirley Thomas , radio/television actress/writer/producer, advocate for United States Space Program & professor of technical writing*Shirley Thomas , women's track runner...
won a silver in the first ever World Athletics Championship sprint relay final. Beverley ran a superb leg however the favourites the GDR romped home by nearly a second.
In fact the Great Britain women's 4x100 m relay team never lost out on a major championship medal from 1978- 1984 including European and Commonwealth honours.
Beverley usually ran the third leg and became a specialist in this position, as is evident all her major medals came as a member of the sprint relay team. Modern U.K Women's sprint relay teams have not come close to emulating these achievements. All the more remarkable as many of their rivals at this time were competing illegally.
Beverley was a rare breed of Athlete who individually were not as effective as when they were competing in a relay. Her PB's were not World Class, but her medal haul as a sprint relay runner are outstanding. Former 400 m runner Phil Brown (athlete)
Phil Brown (athlete)
Philip Andrew Brown was a British athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres. In the individual 400m his results were not outstanding; however, he was an exceptional anchor leg relay runner, anchoring the British team to a number of medals.Brown competed for Great Britain in the 1984 Summer...
, who coincidentally also competed for Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
was also a phenomenal 4X 400m relay anchor leg
Anchor leg
Anchor leg refers to the final position in a relay race. The term is commonly used with respect to relays in athletics. Typically, the anchor leg of a relay is given to the fastest or most experienced competitor on a team...
runner though as an individual was never a high achiever.
Beverley a teacher, is still active at Reading Athletic Club and is found each week coaching athletes there.
Beverley's son is hoping to run at the 2012 Olympics
Personal bests
- 100 m 11.48 -0.60 Helsinki, FIN 07/08/1983
- 4x 100 Relay 42.43 Moscow, RUS 1/08/1980