Mary Mitchell (athlete)
Mary Jane Logan (née Mitchell; 26 November 1912 – 26 March 2007) was a New Zealand athlete. Mainly remembered as a javelin thrower, she represented her country at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, where she finished fourth in the women's javelin with a best throw of 118 feet 1⁄2 inch (35.98 m).[1]
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mary Jane Mitchell |
| Born | 26 November 1912 New Zealand |
| Died | 26 March 2007 (aged 94) Dargaville, New Zealand |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | Javelin champion (1939, 1940, 1941) |
In 1939, she won the inaugural women's javelin throw at the New Zealand athletics championships, with a winning distance of 111 feet 6+1⁄2 inches (34.00 m). She won the national title again in 1940 and 1941, and her distance of 122 feet 6 inches (37.34 m) in 1940 remained the championship record until surpassed by Cleone Rivett-Carnac in 1952.[2] At the Auckland women's championships in 1941, Mitchell broke her own New Zealand record with a throw of 125 feet 8 inches (38.30 m).[3] She also at one time held the New Zealand women's long jump record,[4] and was a competent high jumper, winning the Auckland championship in 1936.[5]
Mitchell was also known for her kauri carving, as an artist, a poet and a horsewoman.[6] She died in Dargaville in 2007.[4]
References
- "Mary Mitchell". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- Hollings, Stephen (January 2015). "National champions 1887–2014" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. p. 78. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- "Women's javelin throw". Evening Post. 24 February 1941. p. 11. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Obituaries". IAAF News. International Association of Athletics Federations (84): 7. 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Athletics". Auckland Star. 4 April 1936. p. 21. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Inaugural holder of national women's javelin title passes away". Radio New Zealand Newswire. 3 April 2007.