Anita Lonsbrough

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Anita Lonsbrough , after marrying Porter , (born August 10, 1941 in Huddersfield ) is a former British swimmer who was Olympic champion in 1960.

Born in England, she grew up in India when her father was stationed there with the Coldstream Guards . Upon her return to England, she joined a swimming club in Huddersfield. In 1958 she switched to the breast section and quickly caught up with the world's best. She won two gold medals at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958 . At the European Championships in Budapest in 1958 , she took second place over 200 m breaststroke behind Ada den Haan and in front of Wiltrud Urselmann .

At the age of 19 she celebrated her greatest success in swimming when she became Olympic champion over 200 m breasts at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960 , relegating the German swimmers Wiltrud Urselmann and Barbara Göbel to their places. In the final she set a new world record with 2: 49.5 minutes . She won one of two gold medals won by British athletes in Rome, the other went to Don Thompson .

At the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth in 1962 , Lonsbrough won both breaststroke courses and the swimming pool . At the European Championships in Leipzig in 1962 , she won the 200m breaststroke and was second behind Adrie Lasterie on the individual medley course . In the same year she became the first woman to be voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year .

At the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo , she was the first woman to carry the British flag at an Olympic opening ceremony. She finished seventh in Tokyo on the 400 m multi-layered course. At the end of 1964 she ended her career, in which she had set a total of four world records. She was awarded the Order of MBE .

After her career as a swimmer, she became a sports journalist and worked for the Daily Telegraph . She married Hugh Porter , who became world cycling champion in pursuit driving in the late 1960s. In 1983 she was inducted into the international swimming pool 's hall of fame .

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personal data
SURNAME Lonsbrough, Anita
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British swimmer
DATE OF BIRTH August 10, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Huddersfield