Biographical entry
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Australian Women
Biographical entry
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Cuthbert, Betty (1938 - )AM, OBE |
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| Commonwealth or Empire Games Gold Medalist, Olympian and Track and Field Athlete | |||
| Born: 20 April 1938 Merrylands, New South Wales, Australia | |||
Betty Cuthbert was the first Australian athlete to win a gold medal on Australian soil. |
Career Highlights | ||||||||
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In 1956, at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Betty Cuthbert became the first Australian athlete to win a gold medal on Australian soil. In fact, Cuthbert won gold in three track and field events at these Olympics: the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4x100 metre relay. She made a winning return to form at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, taking gold in the 400 metres. She has achieved 16 world records. In the 1970s, Cuthbert was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and began actively campaigning for research funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Her autobiography, Golden Girl, has been printed in two editions. In 1965, Cuthbert was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for athletics in New South Wales. She was later appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (1 January 1984), and awarded the Australian Sports Medal (8 February 2000). Chronology
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| Sources used to compile this entry: 100 great Australians, 1983, Who's Who in Australia, 2002. | ||||||||
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Published by National Foundation for Australian Women on Australian Women's Archives Project Web Site Comments, questions, corrections and additions: awap@womenaustralia.info Prepared by: Acknowledgements Updated: 19 June 2008 http://womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0122b.htm |
