Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Betty Cuthbert

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Betty Cuthbert

Betty Cuthbert by Melburnian from Wikimedia Commons

Due to her three Olympic gold medals, Betty Cuthbert, sometimes known as the Golden Girl, reigned in the 20th century. Since her early years, running to her has been like having a cup of tea. It is hardly surprising that she is still listed among the athletes.

She neglected many things in order to hold the label of athlete, so it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. The good news is that her mother gave her unconditional support. She received private coaching from outstanding sprinter June Ferguson as a result of the procedure. She undoubtedly succeeded in attending various national events that boosted the worth of her career.

1. She had an identical twin

Cuthbert and Marie “Midge,” Cuthbert’s fraternal twin sister, were both born to Leslie and Marion. She also has a brother named John and two sisters named Jean. Marie gave birth 20 minutes before Cuthbert. The twins, in Midge’s opinion, were incredibly special to one another despite not being identical.

2. Cuthbert was born in New South Wales 

Betty Cuthbert by Maksym Kozlenko from Wikimedia Commons

Cuthbert, a daughter of nursery proprietors, was raised in the Sydney suburb of Ermington and attended Ermington Public School. She was born in Merrylands, New South Wales. Cuthbert said of her upbringing “My family life was nice, and my parents were always supportive of me. Respect for others and for things was something we were always taught.”

3. Cuthbert was a member of the Western Suburbs Athletic Club

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park by Ank Kumar from Wikimedia Commons

Cuthbert established a world record in the 200 meters at the age of 18, just before the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, making her one of the favourites to win a gold medal in that competition.

Cuthbert first advanced to the 100-meter finals, defeating Shirley Strickland of Australia, the current world record holder, in her heat with an Olympic record time of 11.4 seconds (also a personal best).

4. Cuthbert was the obvious favourite after winning the final

Betty Cuthbert by William Brindle from Wikimedia Commons

Cuthbert took first place in the championship race for the 200 meters after winning the final. She lived up to the expectations and was named the “Golden Girl” of Australia. Cuthbert won a third gold medal when she completed the last leg of the Australian team’s victory in the 4 x 100-meter final, setting a new world record.

5. Cuthbert set a world 220 yards in winning the Australian championships

World Championship for Women Australia by FIBA from Wikimedia Commons

In 1958, Marlene Mathews, arch-rival and two-time Olympian who won the bronze medal, defeated Cuthbert in both the 100 and 220-yard races at the Australian Championships. Later that year, in Cardiff, Wales, at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, Cuthbert could only finish second in the 220y and fourth in the 100y, once more falling short of Mathews.

She established a record of 440 yards, which was surpassed by Maria Itkina of the Soviet Union in September 1959.

6. She eventually gave up competing in track and field

Track and Field by NWSPhoenix from Wikimedia Commons

Cuthbert broke a world mark for the 220 yards and 200 meters in the lead-up to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome by winning the Australian championships in 23.2 seconds. She sustained an injury at the Rome Olympics, which resulted in her being disqualified from the 100-meter quarterfinals. She eventually gave up competing in track and field.

However, her retirement was short-lived as she made a comeback in 1962 at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia when she helped Australia win the sprint relay gold medal.

7. She’s the only female who won a gold medal in all running events 

Gold medal by carlinmack from Wikimedia Commons

After that, she focused on the 400-meter race and participated in it at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 1964, the first time women were allowed to compete in it. Cuthbert defeated British competitor Ann Packer in a time that set an Olympic record of 52.01, defeating her despite her lacklustre performance in the preliminary rounds.

Cuthbert defeated British competitor Ann Packer in a time that set an Olympic record, 52.01, to win the event and earn her fourth Olympic gold medal. She is the only Olympian, male or female, to have triumphed in the 100, 200, and 400-meter sprints, earning gold medals in each. She then confirmed that she had officially retired after Tokyo. She also got the Helms Award in 1964 for her services to sports.

June Ferguson, who had taught her physical education in high school, served as her coach.

8. Cuthbert had multiple sclerosis since 1969 

Cuthbert has had multiple sclerosis since 1969 and suffered a serious brain haemorrhage in 2002. Despite having MS, she claimed that she never once questioned God’s will for her life and that instead, she “understood that God wanted her to use it to assist other people.”

9. Cuthbert became a born-again Christian at the age of 47

At the age of 47, Cuthbert converted to Christianity in 1985. At a public rally, the speaker said she had always been a practising Christian and that others in the crowd were also Christians. She felt impelled to share her faith in Jesus with others. Cuthbert made a point of spreading the good news of Jesus to as many people as he could after that.

She initially sought treatment for her MS though, and someone urged her to visit a church where she might find relief. She said that rather than going to the Healer, she went in search of healing. In her own words: “After learning about the healer, I lost all interest in the healing. The finest part is that. I’m so happy when I get to do

10. She was a key player in the creation of MS Research Australia

World Athletics Championships by Will Palmer from Wikimedia Commons

After learning she had multiple sclerosis, Cuthbert committed herself to raise awareness of the condition. She played a key role in the founding of MS Research Australia and attended the group’s 2004 launch with the then-prime minister, John Howard. After her passing in 2017, Dr Matthew Miles, CEO of MS Research Australia, praised Margaret for her hard work in raising awareness of the illness and the enormous impact she had on Australians’ recognition and comprehension of MS.

The International Association of Athletics Federations gave Australian athletes permission to wear black armbands in competition the day after her passing. There was also a moment of silence before the competition at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

Cuthbert was the lone Australian among the IAAF Hall of Fame’s inaugural class of ten members in 2012. Numerous notable Australians paid tribute to Cuthbert’s life and career: