Carol Tyson (15 December 1957 – 12 June 2005) was a British racewalking athlete.[1] She was a three-time competitor at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup and was twice a silver medallist.
Biography
Born to Jack and Peggy Tyson, both medical doctors, she attended Keswick School as a boarder and took up racewalking while there.[2] Women's walking was in its early stages of development and, along with Marion Fawkes, Tyson was a leading athlete for Great Britain.
Tyson claimed national titles at the 5 km and 5000 m distances in her early twenties, including two titles at the UK Athletics Championships.[3][4] She was also twice British 5000 metres walk champion, winning at the 1978 WAAA Championships and 1981 WAAA Championships and twice British 10,000 metres walk champion, winning at at the 1978 WAAA Championships and 1980 WAAA Championships.[5][6][7]
She began to study medicine at King's College London but continued to compete in the sport.[2] She entered an invitational 5 km women's race at the 1977 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. Contested mainly between British and Swedish athletes, Tyson placed second behind Siv Gustavsson. The event was upgraded to an official one for the 1979 IAAF World Race Walking Cup and Tyson formed a British 1–2 with Marion Fawkes, helping the British women to the Eschborn Cup team title. Her third and final outing at the 1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup brought more modest results, with Tyson in 19th place.[8] She also won the top level Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni race in 1981.[9]
After retiring from racewalking due to an Achilles tendon injury, she worked as a paediatrician in New Zealand, London, Great Yarmouth and finally at Perth Royal Infirmary. She died suddenly at the age of 47 after having breathing difficulties. She left a daughter, Tara Flores.[2]
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | IAAF World Race Walking Cup | Milton Keynes, United Kingdom | 2nd | 5 km walk | 23:46 |
| 1979 | IAAF World Race Walking Cup | Eschborn, West Germany | 2nd | 5 km walk | 22:59 |
| 1981 | IAAF World Race Walking Cup | Valencia, Spain | 19th | 5 km walk | 25:10.9 |
National titles
- UK Athletics Championships
- 5000 m walk: 1980, 1981[3]
- WAAA Women's Road Walk Championships
- 5 km walk: 1977, 1978, 1980[10]
- Women's AAA Championships
References
- ^ Carol Tyson Archived 7 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Race Walk UK. Retrieved on 2016-04-16.
- ^ a b c Death of former Keswick School race walking champion. Cumberland and Westmorland Herald (2005-06-18). Retrieved on 2016-04-16.
- ^ a b UK Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-16.
- ^ a b c WAAA Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-16.
- ^ "Athletics". Birmingham Daily Post. 23 August 1976. Retrieved 8 March 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ "AAA Championships (women)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ IAAF World Race Walking Cup Taicang 2014 Facts & Figures. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-04-16.
- ^ Opuscolo Archived 2018-10-31 at the Wayback Machine. Sesto San Giovanni. Retrieved on 2016-04-16.
- ^ British Road Walking Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-16.
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