Thelma Hopkins (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Thelma Hopkins is a Northern Irish
athlete, who competed in the high and the long jump.
On 5 May 1956 she broke the world record in high jump in Belfast with a jump of 1.74 meters, breaking the record of 1.73 meters set by Aleksandra Chudina
of the USSR on 22 May 1954. Her record was broken on 14 July 1956 in Bucharest by Iolanda Balaş
of Romania.
Her achievement in breaking the world record is commemorated by a plaque in Cherryvale Playing Fields, South Belfast.
She competed for Great Britain in the 1956 Summer Olympics
held in Melbourne
, Australia
in the high jump event, where she won the silver medal jointly with Maria Pisareva. In the 1954 Commonwealth Games she won a gold medal.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
athlete, who competed in the high and the long jump.
On 5 May 1956 she broke the world record in high jump in Belfast with a jump of 1.74 meters, breaking the record of 1.73 meters set by Aleksandra Chudina
Aleksandra Chudina
Aleksandra Georgievna Chudina was a Soviet athlete who competed in many different field events...
of the USSR on 22 May 1954. Her record was broken on 14 July 1956 in Bucharest by Iolanda Balaş
Iolanda Balas
Iolanda Balaş is a former Romanian athlete of Hungarian descent, Olympic champion and world record holder in high jump, who is considered one of the greatest high jumpers ever.-Early life:...
of Romania.
Her achievement in breaking the world record is commemorated by a plaque in Cherryvale Playing Fields, South Belfast.
She competed for Great Britain in 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...
held 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
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...
in the high jump event, where she won the silver medal jointly with Maria Pisareva. In the 1954 Commonwealth Games she won a gold medal.