Maureen Caird
Encyclopedia
Maureen Caird is a former Australian track athlete, who specialised in the sprint hurdles
. At the 1968 Summer Olympics
, she became the youngest-ever individual Olympic athletics champion, at age 17, when she won gold in Mexico City.
, June Ferguson
.
Caird competed in several events, but the 80 m hurdles was her best. In 1967 she won both the junior (under 18) 80 metre hurdles and pentathlon
at the Australian Championships.
In the 1968 Championships, she defended her junior hurdles crown and also won the Long Jump
. Caird also competed in senior events, placing second in both the 80 metres and 100 metres hurdles
behind Pam Kilborn
who was rated as the world's best female hurdler.
Caird's performances earned her selection in the Australian team to compete at the 1968 Summer Olympics
.
time of 10.39. This upset made Caird the youngest individual Olympic champion in athletics (at the time) and earned her the world number one ranking.
At the 1970 Commonwealth Games
, she finished second behind Kilborn in the 100 m hurdles(which had replaced the 80 m internationally). This was despite suffering from glandular fever during the event
Her attempt to defend her Olympic title in 1972
was unsuccessful and she did not make it past the heats.
Caird, now married as Mrs. Jones, currently lives in New Zealand.
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
. 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...
, she became the youngest-ever individual Olympic athletics champion, at age 17, when she won gold in Mexico City.
Early career
Born in Cumberland, New South Wales, Caird began competing in athletics as a teenager, trained by the former coach of quadruple Olympic champion Betty CuthbertBetty Cuthbert
Elizabeth Cuthbert AM, MBE is an Australian athlete, and a fourfold Olympic champion....
, June Ferguson
June Maston
June Elaine Maston was an Australian sprinter and athletics coach from New South Wales...
.
Caird competed in several events, but the 80 m hurdles was her best. In 1967 she won both the junior (under 18) 80 metre hurdles and pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
at the Australian Championships.
In the 1968 Championships, she defended her junior hurdles crown and also won the Long Jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
. Caird also competed in senior events, placing second in both the 80 metres and 100 metres hurdles
100 metres hurdles
The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...
behind Pam Kilborn
Pam Kilborn
Pamela Kilborn-Ryan, MBE is a former Australian athlete who set world records as a hurdler. She was born in Melbourne...
who was rated as the world's best female hurdler.
Caird's performances earned her selection in the Australian team to compete 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...
.
International career
At the Games, Caird, only 17 at the time, was the youngest member of the Australian team. Both Caird and her rival Kilborn made the final, which was held in wet conditions. To the surprise of most observers, Caird crossed the line just ahead of her fellow Australian, in a new world recordWorld 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 10.39. This upset made Caird the youngest individual Olympic champion in athletics (at the time) and earned her the world number one ranking.
At the 1970 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....
, she finished second behind Kilborn in the 100 m hurdles(which had replaced the 80 m internationally). This was despite suffering from glandular fever during the event
Her attempt to defend her Olympic title in 1972
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....
was unsuccessful and she did not make it past the heats.
Personal details
Caird retired due to stomach pains which were diagnosed as cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
Caird, now married as Mrs. Jones, currently lives in New Zealand.