Heather Oakes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Heather Oakes
née Hunte

Personal information
Nationality	British (English)
Born	(1959-08-14) 14 August 1959 (age 66) London, England
Height	163 cm
Weight	64 kg
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Sprints
Club	Haringey AC
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Bronze 1980 Moscow 4 × 100 m relay Bronze 1984 Los Angeles 4 × 100 m relay World Indoor Games Silver 1985 Paris 60 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1986 Edinburgh 100 m Gold 1986 Edinburgh 4 × 100 m relay Representing Europe World Cup Gold 1979 Montreal 4 × 100 m relay

Heather Regina Oakes, born Heather Hunte on August 14, 1959, is a famous English former sprinter. She mostly competed in the 100 metres race. Heather won two bronze medals at the Summer Olympics in the 4 × 100m relay. These were at the Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984 Games. She also earned a silver medal in the 60m race at the 1985 World Indoor Games. A big highlight was her gold medal in the 100m at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

Heather Oakes' Early Life and Career

Heather Oakes was born in Hackney, London. She was a dedicated member of the Haringey Athletic Club. In 1977, when she was known as Heather Hunte, she competed in the European Junior Championships. She finished fourth in the 100m final in Donetsk, just missing out on a medal. However, she did win a bronze medal in the sprint relay event.

In 1979, Heather Hunte became the British 100 metres champion. She won the British WAAA Championships title that year.

Olympic Success and Records

On May 21, 1980, Heather ran the 100 metres in a very fast 11.01 seconds. This race took place at the Crystal Palace. Later that year, she represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in Moscow. There, she won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay. Her teammates were Kathy Smallwood, Beverley Goddard, and Sonia Lannaman. They set a new UK record of 42.43 seconds, which stood for many years until 2014. Heather also finished eighth in the 100m final at those Games.

In 1982, now competing as Heather Oakes, she placed seventh in the 100 metres final at the Commonwealth Games. At the World Championships in Helsinki, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 metres.

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Heather Oakes teamed up again with Kathy Cook (formerly Smallwood) and Beverley Callender (formerly Goddard). They were joined by Simmone Jacobs to win another bronze medal in the 4 × 100m relay. In the 100m final, she finished seventh.

Indoor and Commonwealth Games Achievements

Heather had a fantastic indoor season in 1985. She won medals at both the World Indoor Games and the European Indoor Championships. At the World Indoors in Paris, she won a silver medal in the 60m race. She was incredibly close to the gold, finishing just one-hundredth of a second behind the winner. Then, at the European Indoors, she secured a bronze medal. Heather also won the 100 metres title again at the 1985 WAAA Championships.

In 1986, Heather Oakes became the Commonwealth 100m champion in Edinburgh, Scotland. She won with her personal best time of 11.20 seconds. It was a very close race, where she just beat her teammate Paula Dunn and Canada's Angella Issajenko. Later, Heather joined Paula Dunn, Kathy Cook, and Joan Baptiste to win the gold medal in the sprint relay. Heather ran the final part of the race, helping England win in 43.39 seconds.

Later in 1986, she reached the semi-finals of both the 100m and 200m races at the European Championships in Stuttgart. She rarely competed in the 200m, but she ran her fastest time ever in that event, finishing in 22.92 seconds.

Career Highlights and Personal Bests

Throughout her career, Heather Oakes won many national titles. She won four WAAAs National titles and five UK National titles. As of 2022, her best legal time in the 100m (11.20 seconds) ranks her 18th on the UK all-time list. Her 200m best (22.92 seconds) ranks her 30th, and her 60m best (7.21 seconds) ranks her 12th.

It's interesting to know that while Heather competed at the highest level for her country, she also worked a full-time job. This is different from many athletes today who can focus only on training because of funding and sponsorships. Heather is married to Gary Oakes, who also won an Olympic bronze medal.

Fastest Times

• 60 m: 7.21 seconds (Paris, 1985)
• 100 m: 11.20 seconds (Edinburgh, 1986) - She also ran a wind-assisted 11.01 seconds in London in 1980.
• 200 m: 22.92 seconds (Stuttgart, 1986)
• 4 × 100 m relay: 42.43 seconds (Moscow, 1980) - This was a UK record.

National Titles Won

• WAAAs (of England) National 100m champion: 1979, 1985
• AAAs National Indoor 60m champion: 1978, 1985
• UK National champion:
  • 100m: 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984
  • 200m: 1984

International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing|  England
1982	Commonwealth Games	Brisbane, Australia	7th	100 m	11.39w
1986	Commonwealth Games	Edinburgh, Scotland	1st	100 m	11.20w
			1st	4 × 100 m	43.39
Representing  Great Britain
1977	European Junior Championships	Donetsk, Soviet Union	4th	100 m	11.72
			3rd	4 × 100 m	44.71
1979	European Cup	Turin, Italy	4th	100 m	11.30
			3rd	4 × 100 m	43.18
	World Cup	Montreal, Canada	1st	4 × 100 m	42.19
1980	Olympic Games	Moscow, Russia	8th	100 m	11.34
			3rd	4 × 100 m	42.43
1983	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	semi-final	100 m	11.50
1984	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	7th	100 m	11.43
			3rd	4 × 100 m	43.11
1985	World Indoor Games	Paris, France	2nd	60 m	7.21
	European Indoor Championships	Piraeus, Greece	3rd	60 m	7.22
	European Cup	Moscow, Russia	6th	100 m	11.33
			4th	4 × 100 m	43.35
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	semi-final	100 m	11.29
			semi-final	200 m	22.92

Note: Heather won the 1979 World Cup sprint relay representing Europe. She ran the final part of the race. The other team members were Linda Haglund (Sweden), Chantal Rega (France) and Annegret Richter (West Germany).

See also

In Spanish: Heather Hunte para niños