Wendy Sly
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| Birth name | Wendy Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 November 1959 Hampton, London,England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Borough of Hounslow Athletics Club Brooks Racing Team (USA) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Wendy SlyMBE(néeSmith,born 5 November 1959) is a British former athlete, who competed mainly in the3000 metres.She won a silver medal in the event at the1984 Los Angeles Olympics.She won the1983 10km World Road Race ChampionshipsinSan Diego.
Early life[edit]
Sly was born in Hampton, Greater London, England. She attendedSpelthorne College,then studied English literature atLoughborough Universityfrom 1978 to 1981.
Career[edit]
In 1978, as Wendy Smith, she finished 43rd at theWorld Cross Country Championships,and won a team bronze medal. In 1980, she was the UK number one in the 3000 metres and finished second in the 1500 metres at the UK Championships.[1]In 1982, at theCommonwealth GamesinBrisbane,she won a silver medal in the 3000 metres, running 8:48.47 behindAnne Audain.[2]
In 1983, now competing as Wendy Sly, she finished fifth in the finals of both the 1500 metres and the 3000 metres at the inauguralWorld ChampionshipsinHelsinki.She ran her lifetime bests in both events, 4:04.14 in the 1500 m and 8:37.06 in the 3000 m. Also that year, she won theIAAF World Women's Road Race ChampionshipsinSan Diegocontested over 10 km.
At her firstOlympic Gamesin1984 in Los Angeles,Sly won a silver medal in the3000 metres,a race most remembered for the collision betweenMary DeckerandZola Budd,with whom she had a strong rivalry. She ran a season's best of 8:39.47.
Sly representedEnglandagain in the3,000 metres event,at the1986 Commonwealth GamesinEdinburgh,Scotland,finishing eighth.[3][4]She finished eighth in the 1987World Championships3000 metres final in Rome. Then at her secondOlympicsinSeoul,she finished seventh in the 3000 metres final in 8:37.70, her fastest time in five years.[5]She representedEnglandin the10,000 metres eventat the1990 Commonwealth GamesinAuckland,New Zealand,but did not finish.[6][7]
As of 2019, Sly still ranks in the UK all-time top 10 lists in the 3000 metres (9th with 8:37.06 1983), 10 km road (4th with 31:29 in 1983) and 15 km road (4th with 48:17 in 1985).
She was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire(MBE) in the2015 New Year Honoursfor services to athletics.[8][9]
Personal life[edit]
She married middle-distance runner Chris Sly in 1982.[10]In 1997, she had a son, Max Heath. In 2013, she married her long-term partner, Andrew, whom she met through working together for her former university colleague and friendSebastian Coe.
National titles[edit]
- 1986UK3000 metres Champion
- 1987AAA Championships3000 metres Champion
- 1988 AAAs Indoor 3000 metres Champion
International competitions[edit]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | World Cross Country Championships | Glasgow, Scotland | 43rd | 4.7 km | |
| 1981 | World Cross Country Championships | Madrid, Spain | 65th | 4.4 km | |
| 1982 | Commonwealth Games | Brisbane, Australia | 2nd | 3000 m | 8:48.47 |
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 5th | 1500 m | 4:04.14 |
| 5th | 3000 m | 8:37.06 | |||
| World Women's Road Race Championships | San Diego,United States | 1st | 10 km | 32:23 | |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 2nd | 3000 m | 8:39.47 |
| 1986 | Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, Scotland | 8th | 3000 m | 9:14.04 |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 8th | 3000 m | 8:45.85 |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 7th | 3000 m | 8:37.70 |
| 1990 | Commonwealth Games | Auckland,New Zealand | DNF | 10,000 m | — |
References[edit]
- ^"GBRATHLETICS.COM - UK and International Athletics Records and Statistics".www.gbrathletics.com.Archivedfrom the original on 26 December 2010.Retrieved13 April2020.
- ^"Athletes and results".Commonwealth Games Federation.Archivedfrom the original on 6 October 2019.Retrieved6 October2019.
- ^"1986 Athletes".Team England.Archivedfrom the original on 21 August 2019.Retrieved6 October2019.
- ^"England team in 1986".Commonwealth Games Federation.Archivedfrom the original on 19 April 2019.Retrieved6 October2019.
- ^"ATHLETICS OLYMPIC GAMES LOS ANGELOS 1984".Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2013.Retrieved26 January2014.
- ^"1990 Athletes".Team England.Archivedfrom the original on 21 August 2019.Retrieved6 October2019.
- ^"England team in 1990".Commonwealth Games Federation.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2019.Retrieved6 October2019.
- ^"No. 61092".The London Gazette(Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N24.
- ^"2015 New Year Honours List"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 2 January 2015.Retrieved31 December2014.
- ^Sutton-based Olympic medallist Wendy Sly makes New Year Honours list,Sutton and Croydon Guardian,31 December 2014
External links[edit]
- 1959 births
- Living people
- People from Hampton, London
- Sportspeople from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
- Athletes from London
- English female middle-distance runners
- British female middle-distance runners
- English female long-distance runners
- British female long-distance runners
- English female cross country runners
- British female cross country runners
- Olympic athletes for Great Britain
- Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
- Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Alumni of Loughborough University
- IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships winners
- Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games