Nancy Boyle

Nancy Boyle (born February 3, 1932 ) is an Australian athlete who appeared as a sprinter in the late 1950s.

She was allowed to enter the list of official world records over 400 m as the third runner when she ran the yards in Sydney on February 24, 1957 in 56.3 seconds and the previous world record, held by her compatriot Marlene Mathews (6. January 1957) and the New Zealander Marise Chamberlain (February 16, 1957), undercut by 0.7 seconds. However, she lost this world record just three months later to Polina Lazarewa , who started for the Soviet Union , who improved it to 56.2 seconds.

In reality, 25 (!) Years earlier, a runner had been below 57 seconds for the first time: In 1932, the British Nellie Halstead achieved 56.8 seconds, and in 1951 Soja Petrowa from the Soviet Union was already 3rd with 56.0 seconds Tenths faster than Nancy Boyle. In 1955, Belarusian Marija Itkina was the first woman in the world to stay under 54 seconds (53.9). But these fabulous times were never officially recognized for formal reasons.

She placed fourth over 220 y in 1956, 1958 and 1960. Over 100 y she was fifth in 1956, in the following years she did not make it to the finals. She did not take part in the Olympic Games in her native Australia or in the Commonwealth Games of those years, not even as a relay runner.

Nancy Boyle is the mother of the Australian football player Stephen Boyle (* 1953) and the grandmother of the Australian football player Tim Boyle (* 1984).

Web links

• Mike Rosenbaum: Women's 400-Meter World Records. In: About.com: Track & Field. 2014, accessed February 7, 2014 .