Lillian Board facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lillian Board
MBE

Board at the 1968 Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	13 December 1948 Durban, South Africa
Died	26 December 1970(1970-12-26) (aged 22) Munich, West Germany
Height	5 ft 6 in
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	400 metres, 800 metres
Club	London Olympiades
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Silver 1968 Mexico City 400 metres European Championships Gold 1969 Athens 800 metres Gold 1969 Athens 4 × 400 m relay

Lillian Barbara Board, MBE (born 13 December 1948 – died 26 December 1970) was a talented British athlete. She won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. The next year, she earned two gold medals at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics in Athens. Sadly, her promising career ended in 1970 when she became very ill and passed away.

Early Life and School

Lillian Board was born in Durban, South Africa, on 13 December 1948. Her parents, George and Frances Board, had moved there from Manchester, England. Lillian was born with a twin sister named Irene. In 1950, when the twins were very young, the family moved back to Manchester.

In 1956, the family settled in Ealing, west London. Lillian and Irene, then seven years old, started school at Drayton Green School.

Starting an Athletics Career

In 1960, Lillian and Irene moved to Grange Secondary Modern Girls' School. There, in 1961, a Physical Education teacher named Sue Gibson noticed Lillian's amazing talent for running. She encouraged Lillian, who was 12, to join London Olympiades. This was a top athletics club for girls, based in north-west London. Lillian started competing in short sprints and relays.

The next year, 1962, she also began training for the long jump. She improved a lot in both sprinting and long jump.

In 1963, at age 14, Lillian won the junior long jump title at the All-England Schools Championships. She jumped an impressive 17 ft 3 in (5.26 m). Later that year, she had the best long jump by a British junior girl, reaching 17 ft 8+1⁄2 in (5.40 m).

Her father, George, coached her. She was also inspired by Mary Rand, a famous long jumper and pentathlete from her club. In 1964, Lillian decided to focus on sprints, especially the longer ones like the 440 and 880 yards. Her father believed these were her best events.

By 1965, at 16, Lillian was part of the London Olympiades team that won a relay championship. She also showed her skill in the long jump with a personal best of 5.80 meters. She improved her sprint times too.

In 1966, when she was 17, Lillian started competing in the 440 yards as a senior athlete. She quickly became one of the fastest 17-year-olds in Europe for the 440 yards. Outside of training, she worked as a typist after finishing a secretarial course.

International Success

1966: Commonwealth Games Debut

Lillian's strong performances in 1966 earned her a spot on the England team for the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica. At just 17, she finished fifth in the 400 meters final. This was a great achievement for such a young athlete. Later that year, she made her debut for Great Britain in a match against France.

1967: A Rising Star

Lillian truly became known on the international stage in 1967. Still only 18, she won the 400 meters race in a big competition in Los Angeles, California. She came from behind to win with a stunning finish. This race was shown live on British television, making her a household name.

After this big win, she continued to succeed, winning four out of five international 400 meters races. She also helped Britain win in the 1967 European Cup final in Kyiv. Because of her amazing season, she was named "Athlete of the Year" by the Athletic Writers' Association.

1968: Olympic Games Silver Medal

Lillian started 1968 by winning races and showing she was ready for the Olympics. At the Women's AAA championships, she surprised everyone by competing in the 800 metres instead of her usual 400 meters. She ran an incredible 2:02.0, which was the second fastest time ever by a British woman at that point.

With excellent preparation, she went to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City as a favorite for the 400 meters gold medal. In the final on 16 October, she took the lead near the end of the race. It looked like she would win, but Colette Besson of France caught her right at the finish line. Lillian earned a silver medal, setting a new UK record of 52.12 seconds. It was a fantastic effort for a 19-year-old in her first Olympics.

1969: European Championships Gold Medals

In 1969, Lillian had a small injury that kept her out for five weeks. When she returned, she helped Great Britain win a relay race against the USA. She also beat her Olympic rival, Colette Besson, in a 400 meters race.

Because her back was still painful for shorter races, she decided to focus on the 800 meters at the 1969 European Athletics Championships in Athens. Even though she was not expected to win, she ran a superb race in the final on 18 September. She sprinted away from her competitors and won by eight meters! Her time of 2:01.4 was a new championship record. She was the first British woman to win this European title.

Just two days later, on 20 September, Lillian ran the last leg of the 4 × 400 m relay for Great Britain. She was ten meters behind entering the final stretch but powered past Colette Besson to win gold for Britain in a dramatic photo finish. They also set a new world record of 3:30.8! With two gold medals, Lillian was named "Best Woman Athlete in the Games."

For her achievements, she was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1970. Known as the "Golden Girl" of British athletics, Lillian was a very popular public figure.

1970: Final Races

In 1970, Lillian ran some longer races to build her stamina. She aimed to compete in all distances for Britain. She improved her personal best in the mile race, finishing second in Rome.

Illness and Early Death

Health Problems Begin

Soon after the race in Rome, Lillian started feeling unwell with stomach problems. Doctors thought it was a virus. She continued to feel sick but still managed to compete. In June, she ran an 800 meters race despite being in pain. She looked pale and had lost weight.

Diagnosis and Treatment

That 800 meters final was her last race. After many tests, doctors sadly found that Lillian had a serious illness in September 1970. An operation in October showed that the illness had spread.

Hoping for a cure, she traveled to a clinic in Germany in November 1970. She followed a strict diet and had some minor procedures. However, her condition worsened.

Passing Away

Lillian was moved to a hospital in Munich on 21 December 1970. She had another operation on 23 December. She recovered from this, but on 24 December, she fell into a coma. Lillian passed away in Munich two days later, on 26 December, at the age of 22. She was cremated on 1 January 1971.

A memorial service was held for her in St Paul's Cathedral, London. In Munich, an avenue leading to the Munich Olympic Stadium is named after her. Her fiancé, David Emery, wrote a book about her life called Lillian in 1971.

Honours and Awards

• Voted 'Sportswoman of the Year' for 1968 by the Sports Journalists' Association.
• Named 'Best Woman Athlete in the Games' at the 1969 European Championships in Athletics.
• Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year's Honours List, 1970 for her contributions to athletics.
• Voted 'Sportswoman of the Year' for 1970 by readers of the Daily Express newspaper.
• British athlete Rebecca Lyne dedicated her bronze medal in the 800 m at the 2006 European Athletics Championships to Lillian Board.
• A path from the Munich Olympic Stadium to the subway station was renamed the Lillian-Board-Weg.
• Lilian Board Way in Greenford, her hometown in Ealing, is named after her.
• The Lillian Board Trophy is awarded each year for outstanding fundraising for cancer research.

Achievements

National Titles and Records

• Won six titles at the WAAA's Championships, including the 440 yards title in 1967.
• Set 11 UK records, including a 400 m record of 52.12 in 1968.
• Helped set four relay world records (at 4 × 110 yds, 4 × 400 m (twice) and 4 × 800 m) between September 1968 and June 1970, running the last part of the race each time.

Personal Best Times

She only competed twice in the mile run and stopped competing in the long jump in 1967.

Personal Life

Lillian Board was engaged to sports journalist David Emery when she passed away. He was with her throughout her illness. Later, he married her twin sister, Irene.

Lillian was also a talented dressmaker and designer. She often made her own clothes, including a pink coat she wore to receive her MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in January 1970.

She was the only female guest on the first national TV show of BBC TV's quiz show A Question of Sport, on 5 January 1970.