You won't find better examples of British female athletes than these 1980s icons. You'll find articles on Olympic gold medalist Hannah Mills, BMX champion Laura Kenny, and Great Britain's first transgender athlete. Also, you'll find information on women’s tennis, judo and swimming.
Beth Shriever, BMX gold Medalist
Beth Shriever is a British BMX gold medalist. The BMX rider won Tokyo gold in the women's event. Her success was a long time coming and was not easy. She began with a borrowed kit and a second-hand bicycle. In Britain, she was a household-name.
Shriever won all three of the races she entered in the semi-finals. She almost led right from the start. To win the gold medal, Shriever held off Mariana Pajon of Colombia in the final. Whyte also took home a silver medal at the BMX race event. Both Shriever & Whyte are British.
BMX champion Laura Kenny
Laura Kenny (former BMX champion) is returning to track for the 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. After breaking her shoulder and arm in the fall she refused to quit. She crashed again in a scratch race the next month and broke her arm. She returned home and was not able to diagnose the injury.
Kenny is the proud owner of five Olympic medals, including two golds. She was also awarded the silver medal in team pursuit. This makes her one the most decorated Olympians of British history. She was also first British woman in history to win a Gold Medal at three consecutive Games.
Olympic gold medalists Hannah Mills and Charlotte Worthington
Both the Olympic gold medalists and the twins who won it are both from Cardiff, Wales. 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 first female to win the British national title. Mills was a great swimmer and has now decided to forgo her third year in mechanical engineering so she can take this chance.
Mills and Worthington were still recovering from injuries sustained during the London Olympics. After a brief break, the two decided to return to the Olympic cycle. Clark recovered from pneumonia and the team lost their coach Joe Glanfield, but the pair were back in the water and claiming the gold medal. Both were congratulated by the team and celebrated at the beach. But it wasn't all easy sailing. Mills had a concussion and stomach issues in January. She also needed to have a gastroscopy in March.
Great Britain's first transgender Olympic athlete
More events are being held to help transgender people in the UK as they gain more recognition. The trans community saw many landmark events in the 1980s. Philippa York was a professional cyclist who came out as transgender. The International Transgender Conference took place at the University of East Anglia. It is now a biennial conference. Stephen Whittle published Engendered Punishments, which was a book that Lewis Turner and Stephen Whittle published. It was designed to include trans people within the new Commission on Equalities. Kele Telesford died in her own home after she was found murdered. This was another noteworthy event in the 1980s. Laverne cox, a transgender woman who appeared on British Vogue's cover, was another notable event.
British women have always criticized transgender athletes. There has been much debate about the unfair advantages of transgender athletes participating in women's sporting events. Many British female Olympians have also criticized the inclusion of transgender athletes. Despite this controversy and criticisms transgender women continue to be active in women's sport.