 Dorothy Hyman at the 1960 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 9 May 1941 (1941-05-09) (age 84) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 100 m, 200 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Hickleton Main YC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbest(s) | 100 m – 11.3 (1963) 200 m – 23.2 (1963) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Dorothy HymanMBE (born 9 May 1941) is an English retiredsprinter. She competed at the1960 and1964 Summer Olympics in the 100 m, 200 m and 4 × 100 m events, winning three medals. She also won individual 100 m gold and 200 m silver at the1962 European Championships inBelgrade and, representing England, completed the 100 yd/220 yd sprint double at the1962 Commonwealth Games.[1]
Winner of the 1963BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, she has a stadium in her home village ofCudworth named in her honour.[2] She was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the1965 Birthday Honours for services to Women's Athletics,[3] and in 2011 she was inducted into theEngland Athletics Hall of Fame.[4]
Hyman was born on 9 May 1941 inCudworth,West Riding of Yorkshire, to a family of five. Her father was a coal miner and it was he who first noticed her natural talent for sprinting.[2] She started training from the age of 13, but it took a lot of commitment because the nearest track was 8 miles away. "Each journey involved two buses," she said later. "It was a case of finish work, eat, get the bus, train, get the bus home and go to bed, each day."[5]
Hyman established herself over the next few years as one of England's best upcoming sprinters, becoming junior champion at every age group.[1]
At the age of just 17 she participated in the1958 Commonwealth Games and reached the semi-final of the 100 yd event, but more significantly she was a member of the English4 × 110 yards relay team alongsideMadeleine Weston,June Paul and anchorHeather Armitage that won the gold medal and set a new world record of 45.37 seconds in the process.[6]
Later in 1958 she competed in theEuropean Athletics Championships and won a silver medal as part of the Englishwomen's 4 × 100 m relay team, a result that set the platform for her to compete at a global level in the1960 Summer Olympics.
Hyman completed a 'double double' of the 100 yards and 220 yards events at theWAAA Championships, when winning both sprints at the1959 WAAA Championships[7] and1960 WAAA Championships.[8][9]
Although Hyman was not expected to rank amongst the medallists at the Olympics, and likely not even reach the finals,[2] she finished first in both her heat and semifinal runs for the100 metres. In the final she led for much of the race before being overtaken by AmericanWilma Rudolph, finishing in second place for a silver medal. Hyman also medalled in the200 m, finishing third.[10]
It was in 1962 when Dorothy Hyman confirmed her status as one of the world's best sprinters. At the1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, she achieved the sprint double, winning both the100 yd and220 yd races. Additionally, she won a silver medal as part of the English4 × 110 yd relay team.
At the1962 European Championships, Hyman continued her form, winning gold in the100 m, silver in the200 m, and helping the English team to bronze in the4 × 100 m relay. Hyman's winning time of 11.3 seconds in the 100 m would have been a new European record except that the wind was above permitted levels.[11]
There were no international championships during 1963 but Hyman dominated in national events, going unbeaten in the 100 m and setting her personal best of 11.3, equalling the European record and only 0.1 outside the world record.[4][12] She also set a new British record of 23.2 in the 200 m, and once again contributed to a world record in the 4 × 110 yd relay, setting a time of 45.2 on 5 August.[6]
In recognition of her unbeaten national season and new records, Hyman was presented with the 1963BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.[2]
Hyman's preparations for the1964 Summer Olympics were derailed by injury, and as a result she could only achieve a bronze medal in the4 × 100 m relay. Despite being only 23 years of age, Hyman retired from the track at the end of 1964.[1] In 1965 she wrote an autobiography titledSprint to Fame.
Hyman started to coach voluntarily at the Dorothy Hyman Track Club in Cudworth, at a stadium that had been named after her.[2] By 1969, Hyman was reconsidering her decision to retire. She later said, "I was 24 and I felt I was ready to finish, but five years later I was running faster than I had all my life." However she had surrendered her amateur status by writing her autobiography, and so was only able to compete nationally. She made a significant comeback at the1969 WAAA Championships, winning the 200 metres and finishing second behindChi Cheng in the 100 metres.[13] She retired from sprinting for good soon after. "I could not run internationally so there did not seem much point in the end."[5]
In 2011 Hyman was inducted into theEngland Athletics Hall of Fame.[4]
Hyman's father was a miner, and for 30 years, even while competing nationally, she worked as a tracer for the National Coal Board in Cudworth.[6] She retired after publishing her book,Sprint to Fame. In 1994 she lived in Stairfoot, Barnsley.[14]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Great Britain | |||||
| 1958 | European Athletics Championships | Stockholm, Sweden | semifinal | 100 m | 12.3 |
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 46.0 | |||
| 1960 | Olympic Games | Rome, Italy | 2nd | 100 m | 11.43 |
| 3rd | 200 m | 24.82 | |||
| 6th | 4 × 100 m relay | DNF | |||
| 1962 | European Athletics Championships | Belgrade, Yugoslavia | 1st | 100 m | 11.3 |
| 2nd | 200 m | 23.7 | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.9 | |||
| 1964 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 8th | 100 m | 11.9 |
| semifinal | 200 m | 23.9 | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.9 | |||
Representing England | |||||
| 1958 | Commonwealth Games | Cardiff, Wales | semifinal | 100 yd | 11.1 |
| 1st | 4 × 110 yd relay | 45.37 | |||
| 1962 | Commonwealth Games | Perth, Western Australia | 1st | 100 yd | 11.2 |
| 1st | 220 yd | 23.8 | |||
| 2nd | 4 × 110 yd relay | 46.6 | |||
Notes:
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1963 | Succeeded by |
European Athletics Championships champions in women's100 metres | |
|---|---|
|
Commonwealth Games champions in women's100 metres | |
|---|---|
| 100 yards (1934–1966) | |
| 100 metres (1970–present) |
|
Commonwealth Games champions in women's200 metres | |
|---|---|
| 220 yards (1934–1966) | |
| 200 metres (1970–present) |
|
