Kathy Cook
Encyclopedia
Kathryn Jane Cook (née Smallwood) (born 3 May 1960) is one of the most successful female sprinters
in British
athletics history.
She was born in Winchester
, Hampshire
. She began her career at Reading Athletic Club
, but was soon also a member of the British team. As of 2010, she still holds British records
for:
She also held the 100 metres
record (11.10) from September 1981 until May 2008, when Montell Douglas
ran 11.05.
As a permanent part of the Great Britain Women's 4x100 Relay team 1978-84, she won a total of eight medals in Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth Championships. She always ran the second 'leg', her rangy gait (she is 5'11' tall) and speed endurance being ideal for this position. She also occasionally competed in the 4 x 400 metres relay.
Her major results began with a silver in the 4 x 100 relay at the European Championships, and a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, again in the sprint relay. In the 1980 Moscow Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the sprint relay, in a British record time. She also made both sprint finals.
In 1982, in the 200m final in the European Championships
in Athens
, Kathy finished second behind Bärbel Wöckel
(East Germany), with a new UK and Commonwealth record of 22.13sec. Two days later, she won a second silver medal, as a member of Great Britain's 4 x 100m relay team, which also finished second behind East Germany. Less than one week later, in London, Smallwood won a 400m in 50.46sec, to set a new UK and Commonwealth record. One month later, at the Commonwealth Games
in Brisbane
, she finished a close second to Merlene Ottey (Jamaica) in a wind-assisted time of 22.21sec in the 200 metres. At these games, she also won gold in the 4 x 100 metres relay.
At the inaugural World Championships, in 1983, she added more major championship medals to her growing haul: taking bronze over 200 metres in 22.37 seconds; and a silver in the sprint relay in a time of 42.71 seconds, behind the powerful East German squad.
In 1984, probably her finest season, at the Los Angeles Olympics
, she won a further two bronze medals. Firstly, over 400 metres, she smashed the British and Commonwealth record. In the far from ideal Lane 1, she collected another bronze, as part of 4x100 metre relay team featuring her teammates Simone Jacobs
(1st leg), Beverley Callendar (3rd leg), and Heather Oakes (anchor leg
), clocking 43.11 - well down on the British record she helped set alongside Callendar and Oakes in Moscow 1980. She missed another bronze medal in the 200 metres by a mere 1/100th of a second. She made up for a relatively poor start by a very strong late surge in the closing stages, almost passing the Silver and Bronze medallists.
In the 1986 Commonwealth Games, she won silver at 200 metres, bronze at 400 metres, gold in the 4 x 100 metres relay, and silver in the 4 x 400 metres relay.
In 2011, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame
.
No British female
sprinter
has since come close to emulating these achievements. They are the more significant, because many of her rivals after the fall of the "Iron Curtain
" were found to have been performing illegally. She retired from competition in 1986 after the European Championships in Stuttgart
to start a family with husband Garry Cook
. She is currently a P.E.
teacher at Mayfield Preparatory School, in Walsall
, England and has three children, Sarah (1988), Matthew (1989) and George (1992)
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
in British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
athletics history.
She was born in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. She began her career at 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,...
, but was soon also a member of the British team. As of 2010, she still holds British records
British records in athletics
British records in athletics are the best performances in athletics events by athletes representing the United Kingdom which are ratified by the Amateur Athletic Association and the British Amateur Athletic Board .-History:...
for:
- 200 metres200 metresA 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
(22.10), - 300 metres (35.46),
- 400 metres400 metresThe 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...
(49.43) and - 4 x 100 metres relay4 x 100 metres relayThe 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
(42.43)
She also held 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...
record (11.10) from September 1981 until May 2008, when Montell Douglas
Montell Douglas
Montell Marcelle Douglas is a British sprinter and current British record holder for the 100 metres at 11.05.-Athletics career:...
ran 11.05.
As a permanent part of the Great Britain Women's 4x100 Relay team 1978-84, she won a total of eight medals in Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth Championships. She always ran the second 'leg', her rangy gait (she is 5'11' tall) and speed endurance being ideal for this position. She also occasionally competed in the 4 x 400 metres relay.
Her major results began with a silver in the 4 x 100 relay at the European Championships, and a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, again in the sprint relay. In the 1980 Moscow Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the sprint relay, in a British record time. She also made both sprint finals.
In 1982, in the 200m final in the European Championships
1982 European Championships in Athletics
The 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Kathy finished second behind Bärbel Wöckel
Bärbel Wöckel
Bärbel Wöckel, née Eckert is a retired East German sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres.She won four Olympic gold medals, two each in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics...
(East Germany), with a new UK and Commonwealth record of 22.13sec. Two days later, she won a second silver medal, as a member of Great Britain's 4 x 100m relay team, which also finished second behind East Germany. Less than one week later, in London, Smallwood won a 400m in 50.46sec, to set a new UK and Commonwealth record. One month later, at the 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 Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, she finished a close second to Merlene Ottey (Jamaica) in a wind-assisted time of 22.21sec in the 200 metres. At these games, she also won gold in the 4 x 100 metres relay.
At the inaugural World Championships, in 1983, she added more major championship medals to her growing haul: taking bronze over 200 metres in 22.37 seconds; and a silver in the sprint relay in a time of 42.71 seconds, behind the powerful East German squad.
In 1984, probably her finest season, at the Los Angeles Olympics
Los Angeles Olympics
Los Angeles Olympics may refer to:* 1932 Summer Olympics* 1984 Summer Olympics...
, she won a further two bronze medals. Firstly, over 400 metres, she smashed the British and Commonwealth record. In the far from ideal Lane 1, she collected another bronze, as part of 4x100 metre relay team featuring her teammates 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...
(1st leg), Beverley Callendar (3rd leg), and Heather Oakes (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...
), clocking 43.11 - well down on the British record she helped set alongside Callendar and Oakes in Moscow 1980. She missed another bronze medal in the 200 metres by a mere 1/100th of a second. She made up for a relatively poor start by a very strong late surge in the closing stages, almost passing the Silver and Bronze medallists.
In the 1986 Commonwealth Games, she won silver at 200 metres, bronze at 400 metres, gold in the 4 x 100 metres relay, and silver in the 4 x 400 metres relay.
In 2011, she was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame
England Athletics Hall of Fame
The England Athletics Hall of Fame was launched in 2008 with a panel of experts selecting a list of potential inductees for athletics fans and members of the public to vote on. The Hall of Fame honours those who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of athletics in England...
.
No British female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
sprinter
Sprinter
Sprinter can refer to:in sport:* a person who participates in Sprint running* a cycling sprinter* Open-wheeled Sprint car racingmotor vehicles:* the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter , a cargo van...
has since come close to emulating these achievements. They are the more significant, because many of her rivals after the fall of the "Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
" were found to have been performing illegally. She retired from competition in 1986 after the European Championships in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
to start a family with husband Garry Cook
Garry Cook
Garry Cook is a former British athlete, who competed mainly in the 800 metres with a best time of 1:44.55.He competed for Great Britain in the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, United States in the 4 x 400 metre relay where he won the Silver medal with his team mates Kriss Akabusi, Todd...
. She is currently a P.E.
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
teacher at Mayfield Preparatory School, in Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, England and has three children, Sarah (1988), Matthew (1989) and George (1992)