Vale Betty Cuthbert

[raptalia]

Australia has lost one of its golden girls with the passing of Betty Cuthbert who won three gold medals in Melbourne in 1956 and another in Tokyo in 1964. Cuthbert won the 100 metres in Melbourne in world record time and followed that with the 200 gold and another in the 4 x100 relay.

Along with Marjorie Jackson, who won 100m gold at Helsinki again in world record time, and Shirley Strickland, Betty Cuthbert was one of the 'golden girls' of Australian athletics.

A true champion.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Betty was a National Treasure, officially voted one, but was a true treasure long before that, who had a long 4 or 5 decade battle with MS. It was great that she was there at the opening of the Sydney Olympics.

Betty's record has stood the test of time and will stand for another century up there with the greatest. Before the 2016 Rio Olympics no track and field woman athlete had beaten her total of 4 Olympic gold medals or 3 Olympic gold medals for 3 individual events. Five others had matched her 4 in total and another group of 6 matched her 3 individual, but none had bettered her. Allyson Felix was on 4 before Rio and won 2 in the relays for the US to go ahead of Betty but its taken her 4 Olympics to do so. Felix has only won 1 individual gold, but has suffered from the scheduling of the 200m and 400m not allowing her to run both at the same Olympics.

 

[raptalia]

Betty Cuthbert might have won more gold but she pulled a hamstring on the eve of the Rome Olympics and could not compete. She retired and actually came out of retirement to win Gold in Tokyo.

The champion tag is often over used these days but in Betty's case it is the only word that truly describes her career.

Australia was truly blessed in the fifties and sixties because not only did Betty win four gold but Marjorie Jackson aka,'The Lithgow Flash', won two in Helsinki and Shirley Strickland won three in Helsinki and Melbourne. Between them these three won nine Olympic gold and eleven Commonwealth Games golds. They all held world records at one stage. Now a days we are dancing in the streets if we win one athletics gold at an Olympics.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

http://athletics.com.au/News/cuthbe...tm_source=Campaign Monitor&utm_term=READ MORE

The 2017 IAAF World Championships have honoured Betty Cuthbert this evening, with the sold-out stadium standing for a minute silence to recognise the four-time gold medallist from Melbourne 1956 and Tokyo 1964.

As music played in the background, the big screen at each end of the iconic venue featured memorable images of the only athlete, male or female, to ever win the 100m, 200m and 400m title at the Olympic Games.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]