Marise Chamberlain

Marise Chamberlain

MNZM

Chamberlain at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Born	5 December 1935 (1935-12-05) (age 88) Christchurch, New Zealand
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	800 m
Club	Canterbury
Achievements and titles
Personal best	800 m – 2:01.4 (1962)[1]
Medal record Representing  New Zealand Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo 800 metres Commonwealth Games 1962 Perth 880 yards

Marise Ann Millicent Chamberlain MNZM (born 5 December 1935) is a New Zealand former middle-distance runner. She is the only New Zealand woman to win an Olympic medal in track athletics (Lorraine Moller won a medal in the marathon). She set world records over 440 yards, 400 metres and 1 mile.^{[citation needed]}

At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, she won a silver medal over 880 yards, behind Australian Dixie Willis. Two years later, at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she won the bronze medal^[1][2] behind Ann Packer (gold) and Maryvonne Dupureur (silver), the top five runners beating the old Olympic record time set by Dupureur in the semifinals.^[3]

At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica Chamberlain stumbled just before the finish line when leading in the 880 yds final and missed out on a medal.

In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, Chamberlain was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to athletics.^[4]

Chamberlain was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Honorific eponym

Chamberlain Place, in the Hamilton suburb of Chartwell, is named in Chamberlain's honour.^[5]

References

External links

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