Shirley Strong facts for kids
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Shirley Elaine Strong (born on November 18, 1958) is a British athlete who used to compete in track and field. She was especially good at the 100 metres hurdles race. Shirley won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She also won a gold medal at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and a silver medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. For eight years, from 1980 to 1988, she held the British record for her event.
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Shirley Strong's Early Life
Shirley Strong was born in a village called Cuddington in Cheshire, England. She lived there for her whole sports career. Today, she has two daughters and lives in Holmes Chapel, also in Cheshire.
She went to Northwich Grammar School For Girls. This school is now known as The County High School, Leftwich.
Shirley Strong's Athletics Career
Shirley trained with the Stretford athletic club. She started her national career in 1977. She finished second in the 100 metres hurdles at two big events: the AAA Championships and the UK Athletics Championships. She got second place again in both championships in 1978.
From 1979 to 1984, Shirley won six gold medals in a row at the AAA Championships. She was also the UK Champion in 1979, 1980, and 1983.
Commonwealth Games Success
Shirley's first big international competition was the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada. There, she won a silver medal. She did even better at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. At that event, she won the gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles.
World Championships and Olympics
In 1983, Shirley competed at the World Championships. She finished in a very good fifth place. This was the highest a British athlete had placed in that event until 2011.
At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Shirley was one of the favorites to win. Many Eastern European countries did not attend these Games. In the final race, Benita Fitzgerald-Brown from the United States ran an amazing race. She won the gold medal, finishing just 0.04 seconds faster than Shirley. Shirley proudly took home the silver medal.
End of Career
After the Los Angeles Olympics, Shirley had many problems with her achilles tendon. This injury made it hard for her to compete. She did not qualify for the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She was chosen for the European Championships later that year but had to pull out. Shirley retired from athletics after competing in the indoor season of 1987.
Shirley Strong's Popularity
When Shirley Strong was at the top of her career, she was very popular in the UK. People liked her because they saw her as a down-to-earth person. She was known as "one of us." She even openly said she would sometimes have a cigarette after a race.
Shirley Strong's Best Times
Shirley had some impressive personal bests in her career:
- 60 metres hurdles – 8.11 seconds (Cosford, UK, March 11, 1984)
- 100 metres hurdles – 12.87 seconds (Zurich, Switzerland, August 24, 1983) – This was the British record from 1983 to 1988.
Sometimes, athletes run very fast times with a strong wind helping them. These are called "wind-assisted" times. For record purposes, the wind helping an athlete must be less than 2.0 meters per second. Shirley ran 12.78 seconds twice, but these times were wind-assisted.
Shirley Strong's Major Achievements
Shirley Strong achieved many great things in her athletics career:
- She was the AAA National 100 m Hurdles Champion six times (1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984). She also finished second in 1977 and 1978.
- She was the UK National 100 m Hurdles Champion three times (1979, 1980, 1983). She also finished second in 1977 and 1978.
Here are some of her key international results:
- 1978 Commonwealth Games (Edmonton, Canada): Silver medal in 100m hurdles.
- 1982 Commonwealth Games (Brisbane, Australia): Gold medal in 100m hurdles.
- 1980 Olympic Games (Moscow, Russia): Reached the semi-final in 100m hurdles.
- 1983 World Championships (Helsinki, Finland): Finished 5th in 100m hurdles.
- 1984 Olympic Games (Los Angeles, USA): Silver medal in 100m hurdles.
See also
In Spanish: Shirley Strong para niños
