Janet Simpson
Encyclopedia
Janet Simpson was a British
athlete who competed in sprint events and the 400 metres
.
She competed for Great Britain in the 1964 Summer Olympics
held in Tokyo
, Japan
in the 4 x 100 metres relay, where she won the bronze medal with her team-mates Mary Rand
, Daphne Arden
and Dorothy Hyman
.
She emulated her mother, Violet Webb
, who had won bronze in the same event at the 1932 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
.
Simpson competed for England in the 1966 Commonwealth Games held in Kingston
, Jamaica
, in the 4 x 110 yards relay, where she won the silver medal with her team-mates Maureen Tranter, Daphne Slater and Jill Hall.
She finished fourth in the 400 metres
final at the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico
, missing the bronze medal by only 0.32 seconds.
She also was a member of the Great Britain
team that won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 m relay at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics
in Athens, Greece, setting a world record
time of 3:30.8. Running the third leg, Janet ran the joint fastest time (52.1) of the British quartet and made up 15 metres on the leader, Eliane Jacq of France. The other members of that victorious team were Rosemary Stirling, Pat Lowe and Lillian Board
.
She retired from athletics in 1969 but made a comeback to compete in the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
, helping the Great Britain
relay squad finish fifth in the final of the 4 x 400 metres in British record time (3:28.75).
She later married the Swiss sprinter Philippe Clerc, 200m champion at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics
. She died of a heart attack
on 14 March 2010 at the age of 65.
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 in sprint events and the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
.
She competed for Great Britain 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...
held in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the 4 x 100 metres relay, where she won the bronze medal with her team-mates Mary Rand
Mary Rand
Mary Denise Rand, MBE, is a former English track-and-field athlete. She won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics by breaking the world record, becoming the first-ever British female to win an Olympic gold medal in a track and field event.-Early life:She is the daughter of...
, Daphne Arden
Daphne Arden
Daphne Arden is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She competed for Great Britain in the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan in the 200 metres, finishing 8th in the final; and in the 4 x 100 metres, where she won the bronze medal with her team mates Janet Simpson, long...
and Dorothy Hyman
Dorothy Hyman
Dorothy Hyman is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres....
.
She emulated her mother, Violet Webb
Violet Webb
Violet Blanche Webb was an English athlete who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics....
, who had won bronze in the same event at the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
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...
.
Simpson competed for England in the 1966 Commonwealth Games held in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, in the 4 x 110 yards relay, where she won the silver medal with her team-mates Maureen Tranter, Daphne Slater and Jill Hall.
She finished fourth in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
final at the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, missing the bronze medal by only 0.32 seconds.
She also was a member of the 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...
team that won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 m relay at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics
1969 European Championships in Athletics
The 9th European Athletics Championships were held from 16 September to 21 September 1969 in the Karaiskaki Stadium of Athens, the capital of Greece. New at these championships were the women's 1,500 metres and the women's 4x400 metres relay event....
in Athens, Greece, setting a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
time of 3:30.8. Running the third leg, Janet ran the joint fastest time (52.1) of the British quartet and made up 15 metres on the leader, Eliane Jacq of France. The other members of that victorious team were Rosemary Stirling, Pat Lowe and Lillian Board
Lillian Board
Lillian Barbara Board, MBE was an athlete from Great Britain, who won the silver medal in the 400 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, and two gold medals at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics in Athens, Greece...
.
She retired from athletics in 1969 but made a comeback to compete in the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, helping the 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...
relay squad finish fifth in the final of the 4 x 400 metres in British record time (3:28.75).
She later married the Swiss sprinter Philippe Clerc, 200m champion at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics
1969 European Championships in Athletics
The 9th European Athletics Championships were held from 16 September to 21 September 1969 in the Karaiskaki Stadium of Athens, the capital of Greece. New at these championships were the women's 1,500 metres and the women's 4x400 metres relay event....
. She died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 14 March 2010 at the age of 65.