You can find great British female sportspeople from the 1980s here. There are articles about Hannah Mills (Olympic gold medalist), Laura Kenny (BMX champion), and the first transgender athlete in Great Britain. Information on swimming, tennis and judo will also be available.
BMX gold medalist Beth Shriever
Beth Shriever is a British BMX gold Medalist. The BMX rider won the gold medal in Tokyo's women's race. It was hard work and a long process that led to her success. She began her journey with a borrowed bike and a second-hand kit. In Britain, she was a household-name.
Shriever won all three her races and nearly led from the beginning in the semis. In the final, she held off a late charge from Colombia's Mariana Pajon to take gold. Whyte also won a silver medal in the BMX racing event. Both Shriever and Whyte hail from the UK.
BMX champion Laura Kenny
Laura Kenny, a former BMX champion, is back on the track for 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. In the fall she broke her arm and shoulder, but she refused to give up on the desire to retire. She fell again the next month in a scratch racing event, and her arm was also broken. The injury went undiagnosed until after she returned home.
Kenny has five Olympic Medals to her credit, including two Golds. She was also awarded silver in team pursuit. This makes her one among the most decorated Olympians in 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 attended Howell's School in Llandaff where she won the Optimist Girls' Global Championship. She was also the first woman to win a British national championship. Despite her success on the water, Mills has deferred her third year of a mechanical engineering degree to take up this opportunity.
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. Joe Glanfield was also lost. But the team returned to the water, where Clark and Joe won 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 athlete
Transgender people have been recognized in the UK for their gender identity and are now able to enjoy more events that make their lives easier. The 1980s marked several significant events for the trans community. Philippa York, a professional cyclist, came out as transgender. The International Transgender Conference was held at the University of East Anglia and is now a biennial event. Stephen Whittle and Lewis Turner published the book Engendered Penalties, which was intended to include trans people in a new Commission on Equalities. Another notable event in the 1980s was the murder of Kele Telesford, who was found dead in her home. In addition, Laverne Cox became the first transgender model to appear on a British Vogue cover.
British sport women have long criticised transgender athletes. The inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sport has prompted a wide-ranging debate over their unfair physical advantages. British female Olympians are also critical of the inclusion. Despite this controversy and criticisms transgender women continue to be active in women's sport.