Mary Stewart (athlete)

{{Short description|British runner (born 1956)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Mary Stewart

| image =

| caption =

| nationality = British (English)

| sport = Athletics

| event = middle-distance

| club = Birchfield Harriers

| birth_date = 25 February 1956

| birth_place = Birmingham, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =168 cm

| weight =61 kg

| pb =

| medaltemplates=

{{Medal|Sport | Women's athletics}}

{{Medal|Country | {{ENG}} }}

{{Medal|Comp|Commonwealth Games}}

{{Medal|Gold |1978 Edmonton|1500m}}

{{MedalCompetition|European Athletics Indoor Championships}}

{{MedalGold|1977 San Sebastián|1500 m}}

}}

Mary Stewart (Cotton), (born 25 February 1956 in Birmingham) is a female retired middle-distance runner who competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Biography

A member of the Birchfield Harriers, Stewart became the British 1500 metres champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1975 WAAA Championships.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002137/19750720/310/0039 |title=Athletic Results |work=Sunday Mirror |date=20 July 1975 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 March 2025 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=8 March 2025 }}

Stewart competed in the 1500 metres at the 1976 Olympics Games in Montreal, finishing in fourth place in her semi-final race and just failing to qualify for the final.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/68788 |title=Biographical Information |website=Olympedia |access-date=8 March 2025}}

Stewart won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 1977 European Indoor Championship in San Sebastián and represented England and winning a gold medal in the 1,500 metres event, at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/edmonton-1978/athletes|title=1978 Athletes|website=Team England}}{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/40301|title=Athletes and results|website=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=28 September 2019|archive-date=28 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928123338/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/40301|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/st/mary-stewart-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417190958/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/st/mary-stewart-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17 |title=Mary Stewart at sports reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference|accessdate=2013-06-13}}

In 1979, Stewart regained the 1500m WAAA title at the 1979 WAAA Championships.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19790729/495/0032 |title=Athletics Results |work=Sunday Express |date=29 July 1979 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 March 2025 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=8 March 2025}}

Personal life

She is the younger sister of the Scottish athletes Ian Stewart and Peter Stewart, the family having moved from Musselburgh to Birmingham, England in 1948.{{ cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0027/print.shtml|title=a sporting nation|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2013-06-13}}

References