Shirley Strickland’s Olympic athletic singlet

Shirley Strickland competed in three Olympic Games – London in 1948, Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956. She won medals at each, including three gold medals in the 80m hurdles in 1952 and 1956, and the 4x100m relay in 1956.

After the Helsinki Games, Strickland took a break from competition to start a family. When she returned to training for the Melbourne Olympics, she was a 31-year-old mother of two and was widely criticised by those who thought that her age and motherhood should have marked the end of her athletic career.

She remains Australia’s only track and field athlete to have won back-to-back gold medals.