Meet Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, Sprint & Relay Specialist

Sprint and Relay Specialist Shirley Strickland de la Hunty was known to be a great athlete, competing in the sport, athletics, mainly in relay. She is also a record-breaker. She is the first woman to win seven Olympic medals and to successfully defend her Olympic title in the 80m hurdles (1952-1956).

Here’s a brief overview of career as an athlete and her stint in the Olympics:

In three successive Olympic Games, Shirley Strickland competed in the 4×100m relay:

London 1948: Shirley’s first Olympic Games, at the age of 23. The Australian women had to make do with silver behind the Dutch team, for whom the amazing Fanny Blankers-Koen made the difference in the final leg.

Helsinki 1952: The Australian women set a new world and Olympic record in the 4×100m heats. They were thus favourites for the final, but just when they were ahead, everything changed with the last baton change between Marjorie Jackson and Winsome Cripps: the baton fell, and the victory was lost. This was a huge disappointment for the Australian team, which finished fifth.

Melbourne 1956: This time, Shirley and her team-mates ran a faultless race. They won the final ahead of the British and American women, setting a new world and Olympic record in the process. Strickland finished her Olympic relay career on a high note, with a gold medal.

Strickland was the first Australian woman to win a medal in athletics during the 1948 Olympics Games in London. She also had the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch in the Olympic Stadium during the 2000 Sydney Games.

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