There are many great British female athletes who competed in the 1980s. Articles will be written about Hannah Mills who was an Olympic gold medalist and Laura Kenny, BMX champ, and Great Britain’s first transgender Olympic champion. You'll also find information on women's tennis, judo, and swimming.
Beth Shriever is a BMX gold-medallist
Beth Shriever, a British BMX gold-medalist is Beth Shriever. The BMX rider won Tokyo's gold medal in the women’s race. Her success was hard-earned and took many years. She started out on a borrowed kit and second-hand bike. She became a household name in Britain.
Shriever won all three her races and nearly led from the beginning in the semis. In the final, Mariana Pajon, from Colombia, held off Shriever's late charge to claim gold. In the BMX racing event, Whyte won a silver medal. Both Shriever, and Whyte come from Britain.
Laura Kenny, BMX champion
Laura Kenny was a former BMX champion and will return to the track in 2020 UCI World Track Championships. After two serious velodrome crashes, she was considering retiring. Her first crash was during a tempo racing event at the Milton World Cup in Feb. She broke her shoulder and arm in the fall, but resisted the urge to retire. The next month, she crashed again during a scratch race, breaking her arm. After she returned to her home, the injury was still undiagnosed.
Kenny has five Olympic golds and two silver medals. She was also awarded silver in team pursuit. This makes her one the most decorated Olympians of British history. She is also the first British woman who has won a gold medal in three consecutive games.
Olympic gold medalists Hannah Mills, and Charlotte Worthington
Both of the Olympic gold medalists are from Cardiff, Wales. They both enjoy being environmentalists. Mills is a member Welsh's national sailing team. She rose through the ranks and won a string of junior titles, both in crewed and individual events. She was a pupil at Howell's School and won the Optimist Girls' National Championship. She was also a first female winner of a British national title. Mills, despite her success in the water, has deferred her 3rd year of a mechanical engineering degree in order to accept this opportunity.
Mills and Worthington had been recuperating from injuries and illnesses sustained after the London Olympics. After a short break, the pair decided to give the Olympic cycle another go. Clark was able recover from pneumonia. Joe Glanfield lost his coach, but the pair were back on the water winning the gold medal. Although the two were congratulated, it wasn't always easy. Mills sustained a concussion in January. In March, she had stomach problems that required her to undergo a gastroscopy.
Great Britain's transgender first athlete
As transgender people continue to gain recognition in the UK, more events are taking place to make their lives better. The trans community saw many landmark events in the 1980s. Philippa York, an accomplished cyclist, became transgender. The International Transgender Conference took place at the University of East Anglia. It is now a biennial conference. Stephen Whittle and Lewis Turner published Engendered Penalties. This book aimed to include trans persons in the Commission on Equalities. Kele Telesford's murder was another notable event of the 1980s. Her body was discovered in her home. Laverne Copx was the first transgender models to appear on a British Vogue Cover.
British sport women have long criticised transgender athletes. Transgender athletes have been subject to a lot of criticism due to their unjust physical advantages. British female Olympians are also critical of the inclusion. Despite all the controversy and criticisms, transgender female athletes continue to compete in the women's field of sport.