Aussie Olympic legend ‘ Golden Girl’ Betty Cuthbert dies

Australian Olympic icon Betty Cuthbert – the only athlete to ever win gold in the 100, 200, and 400 meters – has died aged 79 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis, offi cials said Monday.

Cuthbert shot to fame as a little- known 18- year- old at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, winning the 100, 200 and 4x100 meters relay, earning her the nickname “Golden Girl” by local media.

She suff ered a hamstring injury at the Rome Games four years later and briefl y retired, before being coaxed back to the track to win the 400 meters at the 1964 Games in Tokyo.

During her career, she set nine world records, four of them in 1958, and remains the only athlete, male or female, to win Olympic gold in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.

Swimmer Ian Thorpe is the only Australian to claim more Olympic gold medals, with fi ve.

“Betty was the Golden Girl of the track and a national heroine,” said Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates.

“Betty battled her illness for many years and showed tremendous courage, but more importantly she always man- aged to smile.”

Athletics Australia President Mark Arbib called her “inspiring.”

“She is the only athlete, male or female, to win Olympic gold in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, with her trophy cabinet also including three medals from the Commonwealth Games,” he said. “She will be forever remembered as a legend of the sport and a trailblazer for our female athletes.”

Born in Sydney, Cuthbert moved to West Australia in later life after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1969, which confi ned her to a wheelchair.

She returned to the spotlight in 2000 when she took part in the ceremony to light the cauldron at the Sydney Games.

Cuthbert was an inaugural member of the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame and she was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame in 2012.

“Rest in peace Betty Cuthbert – an inspiration and a champion on and off the track,” tweeted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, while fellow track legend Cathy Freeman said, “Thank you for the inspirational memories, Betty Cuthbert.”