Strickland, Shirley (1925–2004)

Australian track-and-field athlete. Name variations: Shirley de la Hunty; Shirley de la Hunty-Strickland. Born Shirley Strickland, July 18, 1925, in Guildford, Western Australia; died Feb 17, 2004, at her home in Perth, Australia; dau. of David Strickland (professional sprinter); m. Laurence de la Hunty (Perth geologist), 1950 (died 1980); children: 4, including Philip (b. 1953).

Won 7 Olympic medals in track and field: a silver medal for 4 × 100-meter relay and bronze medals for 100 meters and 80-meter hurdles at London Olympics (1948), a bronze medal for 100 meters and gold medal for 80-meter hurdles at Helsinki Olympics (1952), and gold medals for 4 × 100-meter relay and 80-meter hurdles at Melbourne Olympics (1956), the 1st woman to successfully defend an Olympic title; later discovered to have won the bronze medal in the 200 meters at the London Olympics (1948), when a photograph of the finish emerged (1975), but was never recognized for it officially; her record was equaled only by Poland's Irena Szewinska; also won 3 golds and 2 silvers at the Empire Games in Auckland (1950); was a torchbearer at the opening of the Sydney Olympics (2000); taught academic mathematics at Claremont Teachers College (now Edith Cowan) for 30 years. Awarded MBE (1951); received the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee for fundraising efforts (1952); inducted into Athletics Australia Hall of Fame (2000).