Women muscle in on the Olympics

Press, 28 July 1976, Page 12

Women muscle in on the Olympics

By A. L. Kidson Princess Anne has set an Olympic record and bashed tradition by being the first member of British Royalty to qualify for mixing it with the hoi polloi in these quadrennial jousts. In the first Olympics, which began some 3000 years ago, women were not only barred from competing but were forbidden, on pain of death, even to watch. But they did watch, for all that, from tree-tops and other peeping-places among the Sacred Grove. In the modern series, which began at Athens in 1896 (after a gap of 2286 years) women competitors nave proliferated, adding their prowess, grace and glamour to a wide range of contests, and contributing immeasurably to the Games’ popularity. Nevertheless they were slow, historically speaking, in getting off the mark. At Athens there were no women competitors; at Paris in 1900 six lined up; at St Louis, 1904, none. From then on the number shot up dramatically, ending with 1070 at Munich in 1972, and an even greater muster scheduled for Montreal this year. New Zealand has sent its female quota, but so far only three have won Olympic medals- Yvette Williams a gold, for the long jump at Helsinki in 1952; Jean Stewart a bronze for the 100 m backstroke the same year; and Marise Chamberlain a bronze for the 800 m foot-race at Tokyo in 1964. Some outstanding per-

sonalities have graced the women’s Olympic contests, best-known perhaps being the glamorous Sonja Heme (“Princess of the Ice”), who later became a filmstar. She made her debut when 11 years old, at the first Winter Olympics, held by the French in the alpine resort of Chamonix in January, 1924. Sonja entered for the ladies’ figure skating, and came last. The next year she became champion of her native Norway. At St Moritz, in 1928, this gay little blonde, then only 15, captured not only the crown for women’s figure skating, but also the hearts of the delighted spectators — a feat which she repeated in two successive Olympics, held by the United States (1932) and Germany (1936). Her achievements included 10 world championships and a spectacular career in films. '

Another distinctive figure was America’s Mildred (“Babe’’) Didrikson who, at Los Angeles in 1932, gained gold medals for rhe javelin throw and the 80m hurdles, and a silver for the high jump. She married the noted wrestler, Bob Zaharias; and. in 1947, she won the British womens amateur golf championship It is recorded that this lady's manners, both on and off the golf-course, were, to put it mildly, unusual. At the London Olympics in 1948, a 30-year-old Dutch housewife, Fanny Blankers-Koen, made history by winning four gold medals: for the 80m hurdles, the 100 m and the 200 m sprints, and as “last

leg” in the 400 m relay. At that time Fanny held world records for the women’s long and high jumps, but she did not compete in those events at London. Had she done so she might have carried six gold medals back home to the Netherlands.

Glamour has never been lacking among women Olympic contestants, including our own New Zealand girls; but “naming names” in that area would be invidious. Mention could be made, nowever, of the Goitschel sisters, Christine and Marielle, both under 20, who, at Innsbruck in 1964, became darlings of the winter events for their personality and their performance. In the slalom Christine came first, with Marielle second; and in the giant slalom Marielle won the gold, and Christine the silver.

In the heady atmosphere of the Olympics, where virile men meet beautiful and talented women, romances develop; and these would make a fascinating story. One flourished and led to a church wedding, in Mexico City ni 1968. There, in the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Josef Odlozil, who had won a silver medal at Tokyo for the 1500 m but was unplaced at Mexico City, married the beautiful Czech gymnast, Vera Caslavska. At Tokyo in 1964 Vera had won three gold medals. Itj 1968 she captured four more, along with the hearts of all spectators, including the doublyvanquished Odlozil — a winner after all.