There are many great British female athletes who competed in the 1980s. There are articles about Hannah Mills (Olympic gold medalist), Laura Kenny (BMX champion), and the first transgender athlete in Great Britain. Also, you'll find information on women’s tennis, judo and swimming.
Beth Shriever is a BMX gold-medallist
Beth Shriever is a British BMX gold medalist. The BMX rider won Tokyo's gold medal in the women’s race. Her success was hard-earned and took many years. She began with a borrowed kit and a second-hand bicycle. She was soon a household name throughout Britain.
Shriever won the semi-finals in all three races, and almost took the lead from the start. In the final, Mariana Pajon from Colombia was able to hold off Shriever and take gold. Whyte also took home a silver medal at the BMX race event. Both Shriever as Whyte were British.
BMX champion Laura Kenny
Former BMX champion Laura Kenny is returning to the track for the 2020 UCI World Track Championships in Berlin. After two serious crashes in velodrome, Kenny considered retiring. Her first crash occurred during a tempo race at the Milton World Cup in February. Despite breaking her arm and shoulder in the fall, she refused the temptation to retire. Her arm was broken in another crash the following month during a scratch-race. The injury was not diagnosed until she returned home.
Kenny has five Olympic golds and two silver medals. She was also awarded the silver medal in team pursuit. She is one of Britain's most decorated Olympians. 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, a member the Welsh national sailing team, rose up the ranks to Great Britain and won a series of junior titles in individual and crewed events. She attended Howell's School in Llandaff where she won the Optimist Girls' Global Championship. She was also a first female winner of a 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 rest, the couple decided to try again for the Olympic cycling. 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 had a concussion and stomach issues in January. She also needed to have a gastroscopy in March.
Great Britain's first transgender runner
Transgender people are becoming more well-known in the UK and there are many events to improve their lives. The 1980s marked several significant events for the trans community. Philippa York, an accomplished cyclist, became transgender. The International Transgender Conference, which was held at the University of East Anglia, 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. Kele Telesford was also murdered in 1980. She was found dead at her home. Laverne cox, a transgender woman who appeared on British Vogue's cover, was another notable event.
British women have always criticized transgender athletes. The inclusion transgender women in women's sport has led to wide-ranging discussion about their unfair physical advantages. British female Olympians are also critical of the inclusion. But despite the criticism and controversy, transgender sportswomen have continued to compete in the field of women's sport.