Thelma Kench
Thelma Kench (born February 19, 1914 in Palmerston North ; died March 25, 1985 in Wellington ), married Thelma Irion , was a New Zealand sprinter.
Career
Kench was a niece of multiple New Zealand sprint champion Harry Martis . In 1930 she became the New Zealand champion in the 100 yard sprint . In the same year she set her personal best with 11.2 seconds on this route, which at the time meant the setting of the current world record. She was able to repeat this performance two years later.
She represented her country in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles in the 100-meter run. With a time of 11.4 seconds, she qualified third in her preliminary run for the semi-finals. There she could not repeat the good performance from the first lap. Still in third position halfway through the race, she collapsed and in the end only achieved sixth and last place.
Since 1940, Kench was married to John Henry Irion.
Web links
- Profile on the New Zealand Olympic Committee website .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Thelma Kench in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original ), accessed on April 22, 2016.
- ↑ Description on nzetc.victoria.ac.nz accessed on April 22, 2016
- ↑ Portrait on teara.govt.nz accessed on April 22, 2016
- ^ Olympic Games. Article in The West Australian, August 3, 1932 ( online )
- ↑ Girl athlete weds. Article in The Evening Post, February 9, 1940 ( online )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kench, Thelma |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Irion, Thelma (married name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | New Zealand sprinter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 19, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Palmerston North , New Zealand |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 25, 1985 |
| Place of death | Wellington , New Zealand |