Norma Thrower
Encyclopedia
Norma Claire Thrower (born 5 February 1936) is a retired Australia
n hurdler
. Born as Norma Austin, the South Australian hurdler ran for the Western Districts club in Adelaide
.
At the 1956 Summer Olympics
in Melbourne
, Australia she won the bronze medal over 80 metres hurdles
behind countrywoman Shirley Strickland
(gold) and German Gisela Köhler
(silver).
At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
in Cardiff
she again won the 80m hurdles event, this time ahead of Carole Quinton
(silver) and countrywoman Gloria Wigney (bronze).
At the Australian championships she won a silver medal in 1952, a bronze in 1954 and gold medals in 1956, 1958 and 1960.
Thrower set a world record of 10.6 seconds for 80 metres hurdles in 1960, but could not make the final at the 1960 Summer Olympics
in Rome
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n hurdler
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
. Born as Norma Austin, the South Australian hurdler ran for the Western Districts club in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
At the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia she won the bronze medal over 80 metres hurdles
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
behind countrywoman Shirley Strickland
Shirley Strickland
Shirley Barbara Strickland AO, MBE , later Shirley de la Hunty, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports.-Family:...
(gold) and German Gisela Köhler
Gisela Birkemeyer
Gisela Birkemeyer is a former athlete and Olympic medal winner from Germany, who was born as Gisela Köhler. She was one of the best athletes in the 80m hurdling....
(silver).
At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, capital of Wales from 18–26 July 1958.Thirty-five nations sent a total of 1,130 athletes and 228 officials to the Cardiff Games and 23 countries and dependencies won medals, including, for the first time, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
she again won the 80m hurdles event, this time ahead of Carole Quinton
Carole Quinton
Carole Louise Quinton is a former English athlete, who competed in the sprint and short hurdles events.She competed for Great Britain in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy, where she won the silver medal in the 100m Hurdles.-References:...
(silver) and countrywoman Gloria Wigney (bronze).
At the Australian championships she won a silver medal in 1952, a bronze in 1954 and gold medals in 1956, 1958 and 1960.
Thrower set a world record of 10.6 seconds for 80 metres hurdles in 1960, but could not make the final at the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.