Betty Cuthbert AC MBE
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Elizabeth Alyse Cuthbert AC MBE (1938 - 2017)

Elizabeth Alyse (Betty) "Golden Girl" Cuthbert AC MBE
Born in Merrylands, New South Wales, Australiamap
Ancestors ancestors
Daughter of and
Sister of
Died at age 79 in Mandurah, Western Australia, Australiamap
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Contents

Biography

Notables Project
Betty Cuthbert AC MBE is Notable.
Betty Cuthbert AC MBE is one of twins.
Betty Cuthbert AC MBE was an athlete.
Betty Cuthbert AC MBE was a 4 time Olympic gold medallist for Australia (1956, 1964)

Known as Australia's Golden Girl, Elizabeth (Betty) Cuthbert (/bɛti kʌθbət/) was a four time Olympic champion in the field of athletics. She is the only Olympic sprinter, man or woman, to have won gold medals in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres events.[1]

Early Life

The daughter of New Zealand-born Leslie Cuthbert and Marion Cleland, Betty was born in 1938 in Merrylands, New South Wales, Australia, as a twin to Marie.[2]

Betty grew up in the Sydney suburb of Ermington and attended Ermington Public School, followed by Parramatta Home Science School, where she met her coach, June Ferguson. She left school at 16 years of age to work in her parents' nursery.[3][4]

The Golden Girl

Betty trained with the Western Suburbs Athletic Club,[2] and had a distinctive running style, with a high knee lift and mouth wide open.[4]

Women's 100 metre final in 1956 Olympic Games (Betty Cuthbert, Marlene Mathews, Heather Armitage)
Women's 100 metre final in 1956 Olympic Games
(Betty Cuthbert, Marlene Mathews, Heather Armitage)

The Olympic Games came to the southern hemisphere for the first time in November 1956 in Melbourne, Australia. Competing before a home crowd, Betty established herself as Australia's Golden Girl as she won an unprecedented three gold medals, the highest medal tally of any athlete at these Games.[5] Betty ran a personal best time of 11.4 seconds for her heat in the 100 metres, which set a new Olympic record, and won the final in a time of 11.5 seconds.[6]

In September 1956 Betty set a world record time of 23.2 seconds for the 200 metre event in Sydney, Australia, and was the favourite to win in Melbourne. In the final she led by one metre off the curve and went on to win gold by three times that margin. With a time of 23.4 seconds, she equalled Marjorie Jackson's Olympic record set in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952.[7]

Betty ran the anchor leg for Australia in the 4 x 100 metre relay, with Shirley Strickland, Norma Croker and Fleur Mellor completing the team. The Australian and German teams shared a world record time of 44.9 seconds in the heats. In the final, Britain's Heather Armitage had a one metre lead when she took the baton, but Betty soon caught her. Betty won by half a metre as both teams completed the event under world record time; Australia in 44.5 seconds and Great Britain in 44.7 seconds.[8]

Australian 4 x 100m Relay Team at 1956 Olympic Games (L-R) Fleur Mellor, Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert, Shirley Strickland)
Australian 4 x 100m Relay Team
at 1956 Olympic Games (L-R) Fleur Mellor,
Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert, Shirley Strickland

Betty set four records in early 1958, but came second to fellow Australian Marlene Mathews later that year over 220 yards at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, and had to settle for fourth place in the 100 yards. She won a silver medal with the relay team.[4]

An injured hamstring at the 1960 Olympics in Rome prevented Betty advancing beyond the quarter finals in her first event.[9]

Betty returned in 1964 in Tokyo to win gold in the 400 metres, in the Olympic record time of 52.0 seconds, the first time this event was contested by women at an Olympic Games, in what she later described as "the only perfect race of my life."[1][10]

Between 1956 and 1964 Betty set or equalled 18 world records over 60 metres, 100 yards, 220 yards and 400 metres, and in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 220 relays.[1]

Honours

Statue of Betty Cuthbert at Melbourne Cricket Ground)
Statue of Betty Cuthbert
at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Betty received several honours for her contribution to Australian athletics and her fundraising work for ME. These include but are not limited to:

  • 1956 - ABC Sportsman of the Year Award.[11]
  • 1964 - Helms Award as the foremost amateur athlete in Australasia.[12]
  • 1965 - Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), in recognition of service to sport and to the community.[13]
  • 1978-1980 - First female Trustee of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust.[14]
  • 1983 - Olympic Order (Silver).[15]
  • 1984 - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her services to sport and the community.[16]
  • 1985 - Inaugural inductee to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.[17]
  • 1992 - The State Transit Authority of New South Wales named a RiverCat ferry after Betty.[14]
  • 1994 - Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legend.[17]
  • 1998 - Named a National Living Treasure.[18]
  • 2000 - Inaugural inductee of the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame.[19]
  • 2000 - Australian Sports Medal.[20][21]
  • 2000 - Life Member of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust.[14]
  • 2001 - Inducted to the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust Walk of Honour.[14]
  • 2001 - Admitted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.[14]
  • 2001 - Centenary Medal.[22]
  • 2003 - Bronze statue unveiled outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[23]
  • 2007 - New South Wales NSW Hall of Champions Legend.[24]
  • 2010 - The rose Betty Cuthbert was named after Betty.[25]
  • 2012 - Inaugural inductee of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Hall of Fame.[26]
  • 2017 - Australian Women's Health Sport Awards Hall of Fame.[27]
  • 2018 - A bronze sculpture of Betty (and one of Marlene Mathews) was unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia. This makes them the first female athletes added to the bronze sculptures in the Sydney Cricket Ground precinct.[28]
  • 2018 - Companion of the Order of Australia(AC), for eminent service to athletics at the national and international level, particularly as a gold medallist at the Melbourne and Tokyo Olympic Games, and as a role model, fundraiser, and advocate for research into a cure for multiple sclerosis.[29]
  • The main street of Ermington shopping centre is named Betty Cuthbert Avenue in her honour.[14]
  • Betty Cuthbert Grandstand at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre.[14]

Multiple Sclerosis

After experiencing symptoms for five years, Betty was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1974, which eventually confined her to a wheelchair and in need of a permanent carer. She became a born again Christian in 1985.[14] With former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, she launched MS Research Australia in 2004, and worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the disease and fund research. She participated in the torch relay at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, in a wheelchair.[30] In her honour, the Betty Cuthbert Scholarship and the Betty Cuthbert Fellowship were jointly funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), MS Research Australia and the Trish MS Research Foundation to assist research in to the causes of MS and speed-up the development of new treatments and therapies to reduce the effects of the disease.[31]

Death and Burial

Betty died in a nursing home in Mandurah, Western Australia, on 6 August 2017.[32] She was cremated and her ashes were interred at the Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium in North Ryde, New South Wales.[33][34]

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Betty Cuthbert (Olympics.com, https://olympics.com/en/athletes/betty-cuthbert : accessed 19 May 2021)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Betty Cuthbert (Sports Reference, [https://web.archive.org/web/20200417173353/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/cu/betty-cuthbert-1.html archived at Wayback Machine 17 Apr 2020, retrieved 18 May 2021)
  3. ↑ Anna (class 4S), Ermington Public School History. (Ermington Public School, archived at Wayback Machine 24 Aug 2006, retrieved 27 May 2021).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Gordon, Harry. Betty Cuthbert AM MBE. (Athletics Australia, [https://web.archive.org/web/20091016122340/http://www.athletics.com.au/fanzone/hall_of_fame/betty_cuthbert archived at Wayback Machine 16 Oct 2009, retrieved 18 May 2021)
  5. ↑ 1956 Athletics Summary in Olympics (Sport-Olympic, https://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/olympic-games-athletics/1956-olympic-games-melbourne-australia-athletics/12953-1956-athletics-summary-in-olympics : accessed 19 May 2021)
  6. ↑ 1956 Olympic Games Melbourne, Australia - Women's 100m (Sport-Olympic, https://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/olympic-games-athletics/1956-olympic-games-melbourne-australia-athletics/832-1956-olympic-games-melbourne-australia-women-s-100-m : accessed 19 May 2021)
  7. ↑ 1956 Olympic Games Melbourne, Australia - Women's 200m (Sport-Olympic, https://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/olympic-games-athletics/1956-olympic-games-melbourne-australia-athletics/833-1956-olympic-games-melbourne-australia-women-s-200-m : accessed 19 May 2021)
  8. ↑ 1956 Olympic Games Melbourne, Australia - Women's 4 x 100m (Sport-Olympic, https://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/olympic-games-athletics/1956-olympic-games-melbourne-australia-athletics/834-1956-olympic-games-melbourne-australia-women-s-4-x-100-m : accessed 19 May 2021)
  9. ↑ 1960 Olympic Games Roma, Italy - Women's 100m (Sport-Olympic, https://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/olympic-games-athletics/1960-olympic-games-roma-italy-athletics/865-1960-olympic-games-roma-italy-women-s-100-m : accessed 19 May 2021)
  10. ↑ 1964 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan - Women's 400m (Sport-Olympic, https://www.sport-olympic.gr/sp/index.php/athletics/olympic-games-athletics/1964-olympic-games-tokyo-japan-athletics/902-1964-olympic-games-tokyo-japan-women-s-400-m : accessed 19 May 2021)
  11. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "ABC Sports Award of the Year," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ABC_Sports_Award_of_the_Year&oldid=1022509090 (accessed May 27, 2021).
  12. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "World Trophy for Australasia," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=World_Trophy_for_Australasia&oldid=1022508190 (accessed May 18, 2021).
  13. ↑ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Government of Australia. (Australian Honours Search Facility, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1085201 : accessed 19 May 2021) Order of the British Empire award granted to Miss Betty Cuthbert, 12 Jun 1965, in recognition of service to sport and to the community.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Wikipedia contributors, "Betty Cuthbert," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Betty_Cuthbert&oldid=1022917739 (accessed May 27, 2021).
  15. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Olympic Order," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Olympic_Order&oldid=1024144638 (accessed May 27, 2021).
  16. ↑ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Government of Australia. (Australian Honours Search Facility, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/886314 : accessed 19 May 2021) Member of the Order of Australia award granted to Miss Betty Cuthbert MBE, 26 Jan 1984, in recognition of service to sport and to the community.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Betty Cuthbert (Sport Australia Hall of Fame, https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/betty-cuthbert/ : accessed 27 May 2021)
  18. ↑ Betty Cuthbert (National Portrait Gallery, https://www.portrait.gov.au/portraits/2003.111/betty-cuthbert : accessed 27 May 2021)
  19. ↑ Athletics Australia Hall of Fame (Athletics Australia, https://athletics.com.au/About-Us/Hall-of-Fame/ : accessed 27 May 2021)
  20. ↑ Cuthbert, Betty (1938-2017) (The Australian Women's Register, http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/IMP0122b.htm : accessed 27 May 2021)
  21. ↑ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Government of Australia. (Australian Honours Search Facility, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/972540 : accessed 19 May 2021) Australian Sports Medal granted to Mrs Betty Cuthbert AM MBE, 26 Jan 1984, 1956 Olympic Games - Melbourne Gold Medallist - 100m, 200m, 4x100m Relay 1964 Olympic - Tokyo 400m.
  22. ↑ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Government of Australia. (Australian Honours Search Facility, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1115320 : accessed 19 May 2021) Centenary Medal granted to Miss Betty Cuthbert, 1 Jan 2001, for outstanding service to the sport of athletics.
  23. ↑ Australia's golden girl delighted to get a bronze. Published online 9 Aug 2003. (The Age, Victoria, Australia, https://www.theage.com.au/national/australias-golden-girl-delighted-to-get-a-bronze-20030809-gdw6mo.html : accessed 27 May 2021)
  24. ↑ NSW Hall of Champions Honourees by Sport (Quay Centre, https://www.quaycentre.com.au/nsw-hall-of-champions/honour-roll : accessed 27 May 2021)
  25. ↑ Betty Cuthbert. Modern shrub rose. (Treloar Roses, https://www.treloarroses.com.au/Betty-Cuthbert-Rose?search=betty%20cuthbert : accessed 27 May 2021)
  26. ↑ Track and field getting Hall of Fame. Published online 8 Mar 2012. (ESPN, https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/7659839/jesse-owens-carl-lewis-first-class-iaaf-new-hall-fame-track-field : accessed 27 May 2021)
  27. ↑ Sam Kerr named Women’s Health sportswoman of the Year. Published online 18 Oct 2017. (Daily Telegraph, https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/swoop/sam-kerr-named-womens-health-sportswoman-of-the-year/news-story/c19d889c2983c34f1ea123d29066ac1e : accessed 27 May 2021)
  28. ↑ Cuthbert and Mathews our first ladies in bronze. Published online 3 Jan 2018. (Sydney Cricket Ground, https://www.scgt.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/latest-news/betty-cuthbert-and-marlene-mathews-our-first-ladies-in-bronze/ : accessed 27 May 2018)
  29. ↑ Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Government of Australia. (Australian Honours Search Facility, https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/2000838 : accessed 19 May 2021) Companion of the Order of Australia award granted to the late Ms Betty Cuthbert AM MBE, 26 Jan 2018, for eminent service to athletics at the national and international level, particularly as a gold medallist at the Melbourne and Tokyo Olympic Games, and as a role model, fundraiser, and advocate for research into a cure for multiple sclerosis.
  30. ↑ AG Staff. ‘Golden girl’ of Australian athletics, Betty Cuthbert has died. Published online 7 Aug 2017. (Australian Geographic, https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2017/08/australian-olympian-betty-cuthbert-has-died/ : accessed 18 May 2021)
  31. ↑ Vale Betty Cuthbert AM, MBE (1938-2017). Published online 7 Aug 2017. (MS Research Australia, https://msra.org.au/news/vale-betty-cuthbert-mbe-1938-2017/ : accessed 18 May 2021)
  32. ↑ ‘Golden girl’ of Australian athletics, Betty Cuthbert has died. Published online 7 Aug 2017. (Australian Geographic, https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2017/08/australian-olympian-betty-cuthbert-has-died/ : accessed 27 May 2021)
  33. ↑ Burial Register (Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, Western Australia, wa.gov.au : accessed 27 May 2021) cremation record for Cuthbert, Betty (Age: 79, Date of Death: 6 Aug 2017, Residence: Mandurah, Cemetery: Fremantle Cemetery, Disposition: Ashes taken by Funeral Director, Application No. FC00079820.)
  34. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images findagrave.com : accessed 18 May 2021), memorial page for Elizabeth Alyse “Betty” Cuthbert (20 Apr 1938–6 Aug 2017), Find A Grave: Memorial #206901030, citing Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, North Ryde, Ryde City, New South Wales, Australia.




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Betty Cuthbert
Betty Cuthbert
Golden Girls - Betty Cuthbert and Marlene Mathews
Golden Girls - Betty Cuthbert and Marlene Mathews
1956 Olympic Games Gold Medal
1956 Olympic Games Gold Medal


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