Marlene Mathews
{{short description|Australian sprinter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name =
| image = Betty Cuthbert, Marlene Mathews, Heather Armitage, 1956 Olympics.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Mathews (center) at the 1956 Olympics
| birth_name =
| fullname =
| nationality =
| residence =
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|14 July 1934}}
| birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = 170 cm
| weight = 64 kg
| country =
| sport = Athletics
| event = Sprint
| pb = 100 m – 11.4 (1956)
200 m – 23.3 (1958)
400 m – 56.7 (1957)
| club = Western Suburbs AAC, Sydney
| retired =
| olympics =
| highestranking =
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}}
{{MedalBronze| 1956 Melbourne | 100 metres}}
{{MedalBronze| 1956 Melbourne | 200 metres}}
{{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}}
{{MedalGold| 1958 Cardiff | 100 yards}}
{{MedalGold| 1958 Cardiff | 220 yards}}
{{MedalSilver| 1958 Cardiff | 4×110y relay}}
}}
Marlene Judith Mathews AO (later Willard; born 14 July 1934) is a retired Australian Olympic sprinter. She has been described as 'one of Australia's greatest and unluckiest' champions.[http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE2268b.htm Australian Biographical Database profile – Marlene Mathews]. Womenaustralia.info. Retrieved on 1 March 2016.
Early career
Mathews attended Fort Street High School in Sydney and began competing in athletics in the late 1940s.
At the 1950 Australian Championships, she placed fourth, behind Shirley Strickland, in the 80 m hurdles and ran in the winning state relay team,[https://web.archive.org/web/20091019195013/http://www.athletics.com.au/history/athletes/athlete160.htm Marlene WILLARD (Mathews) (NSW)]. Athletics Australia profile but was not selected for the 1950 British Empire Games team.
A few days after her 16th birthday at the NSW Championships, she ran a great race at the New South Wales Championships 100 yards final, placing second to world record-holder Marjorie Jackson and beating four members of the Australian Empire Games team, including Olympic medalist Strickland.{{cite web|url=http://geocities.com/geetee/bios/marlene.html |title=Athletics Gold profile |access-date=2010-10-08 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027100142/http://geocities.com/geetee/bios/marlene.html |archive-date=27 October 2009 }}
Mathews was considered a certainty to gain selection to the 1952 Summer Olympics before a leg injury forced her out of competition.[https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/marlene-mathews/ Marlene Mathews]. Sport Australia Hall of Fame
International career
File:Marlene Matthews & Betty Cuthbert.jpg]]
In 1954, recovered from her injuries, she ran second to Jackson in the National 100 yards championship (and third in the 220 yards) and was duly selected to run in her first international championships at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver. She was unlucky again, breaking down injured in her heat of the 100 yards.
At the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, she won two bronze medals, over 100 metres and 200 metres. In both races she was beaten by countrywoman Betty Cuthbert (gold) and German Christa Stubnick (silver).
In a controversial move, she was left out of the gold-medal winning Australian 4×100 metres relay team as she was 'not considered a good relay runner" but soon after the Games she assisted an Australian team to world records for 4×200 metres and 4×220 yards relay events.[http://corporate.olympics.com.au/act/news.cfm?ArticleID=6648 Australian Olympic Committee – Marlene Mathews vignette] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911154834/http://corporate.olympics.com.au/act/news.cfm?ArticleID=6648 |date=11 September 2007 }}. Corporate.olympics.com.au. Retrieved on 1 March 2016.
She proved her versatility in the sprint events by setting a new world record at 400 metres with 57.0 seconds on 6 January 1957.
On 20 March 1958, at the Australian Championships, she set a new world record over 100 yards with 10.3 seconds, and two days later she ran 220 yards in 23.4 seconds and set another world record. In both races, she defeated world-record holder and Olympic champion Cuthbert.
At the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, Mathews took out the 100 yards and 220 yards, again beating Cuthbert. She was ranked #1 in the world for both 100 metres[http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/women/100rankingbynation.pdf Track & Field News World Rankings-100m] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209190658/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/women/100rankingbynation.pdf |date=9 February 2012 }}. Trackandfieldnews.com. Retrieved on 1 March 2016. and 200 metres[http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/women/200rankingbynation.pdf Track & Field News World Rankings-200m] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209190708/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/rankings/women/200rankingbynation.pdf |date=9 February 2012 }}. Trackandfieldnews.com. Retrieved on 1 March 2016. in both 1957 and 1958.
Mathews' final competition was at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where she was eliminated in the 100 metres semi-finals.
Personal details and honours
File:MV Marlene Matthews Rivercat.jpg departing Parramatta ferry wharf.]]
Mathews married fireman Barry Willard in 1958 but they later separated. She was an assistant manager of the Australian Olympic Team at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. She became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1979 for her services to athletics, and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1999. Mathews was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame in 2010.{{cite web|title=Athletics Australia Hall of Fame|url=http://athletics.com.au/About-Us/Hall-of-Fame|website=Athletics Australia}} In 1993, the State Transit Authority named a RiverCat ferry after Matthews. In 2018 a bronze sculpture of her (and one of Betty Cuthbert) was unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.eu/arts-culture-and-entertainment-photos/sports-organisations-sculpture-photos/bronze-sculptures-of-australia-s-olympic-athletes-betty-cuthbert-and-marlene-mathews-photos-53984331 |title=Bronze sculptures of Australia's olympic athletes Betty Cuthbert and Marlene Mathews Photos and Images | european pressphoto agency |publisher=Epa.eu |access-date=2018-01-03}} This makes them the first female athletes added to the bronze sculptures in the Sydney Cricket Ground precinct.{{cite web |url=https://www.scgt.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/latest-news/betty-cuthbert-and-marlene-mathews-our-first-ladies-in-bronze/ |title=Cuthbert and Mathews our first ladies in bronze - Precinct |publisher=Scgt.nsw.gov.au |access-date=2018-01-03 |archive-date=3 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103133554/https://www.scgt.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/latest-news/betty-cuthbert-and-marlene-mathews-our-first-ladies-in-bronze/ |url-status=dead }}
Statistics
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| Event
! Time ! Wind ! Place ! Date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 y | 10.3 | 0.0 | Sydney, Australia | 20 March 1958 |
| 100 m | 11.5 | – | Sydney, Australia | 10 March 1956 |
| 200 m | 23.4 | 0.0 | Sydney, Australia | 22 March 1958 |
| 220 y | 23.4 | 0.0 | Sydney, Australia | 22 March 1958 |
| 400 m | 57.0 | – | Sydney, Australia | 6 January 1957 |
| 440 y | 57.0 | – | Sydney, Australia | 6 January 1957 |
| class="wikitable" | |||
| Event
! Time ! Place ! Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 y | 10.3 | Sydney, Australia | 20 March 1958 |
| 200 m | 23.4 | Sydney, Australia | 22 March 1958 |
| 400 m | 57.0 | Sydney, Australia | 6 January 1957 |
| 440 y | 57.0 | Sydney, Australia | 6 January 1957 |
| 4 × 200 m | 1–36.3 | Sydney, Australia | 5 December 1956 |
| 4 × 220 y | 1–36.3 | Sydney, Australia | 5 December 1956 |
World Rankings – 100m and 200m – rankings commenced in 1956.
| class="wikitable" | ||
| Year
! Event ! Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 100m | 3 |
| 200m | 4 | |
| 1957 | 100m | 1 |
| 200m | 1 | |
| 1958 | 100m | 1 |
| 200m | 1 | |
| 1959 | 100m | 2 |
| 1960 | 100m | 9 |
Australian Championships Record – prior to 1963 Championships were held every two years
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| Year
! 100y ! 220y ! 80m hurdles ! 4×110y relay | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | – | – | 4 | 1 |
| 1952 | – | – | – | – |
| 1954 | 2 | 3 | – | 1 |
| 1956 | 3 | 2 | – | 1 |
| 1958 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 |
| 1960 | 3 | DNQ | – | 2 |
References
{{Commons category|Marlene Mathews}}
{{reflist|refs=
}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 100 metres Women}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 200m Women}}
{{Footer Australia NC 100m Women}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Marlene}}
Category:Australian female sprinters
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic athletes for Australia
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia
Category:Sportswomen from New South Wales
Category:Officers of the Order of Australia
Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
Category:Olympic female sprinters
Category:Medallists at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games