Raelene Boyle

Raelene Ann Boyle AM, MBE (born 24 June 1951) is an Australian retired athlete, who represented Australia at three Olympic Games as a sprinter, winning three silver medals, and was named one of 100 National Living Treasures by the National Trust of Australia in 1998. Boyle was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and subsequently became a board member of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA). In 2017, she was named a Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Raelene Boyle
AM MBE
Personal information
Birth nameRaelene Ann Boyle
NationalityAustralian
Born (1951-06-24) 24 June 1951
Coburg, Victoria, Australia
Sport
SportRunning
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1968 Mexico City 200 metres
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 100 metres
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 200 metres
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1970 Edinburgh 100 metres
Gold medal – first place 1970 Edinburgh 200 metres
Gold medal – first place 1970 Edinburgh 4×100m relay
Gold medal – first place 1974 Christchurch 100 metres
Gold medal – first place 1974 Christchurch 200 metres
Gold medal – first place 1974 Christchurch 4×100m relay
Gold medal – first place 1982 Brisbane 400 metres
Silver medal – second place 1978 Edmonton 100 metres
Silver medal – second place 1982 Brisbane 4×400m relay

Early life

Boyle was born on 24 June 1951, the daughter of Gilbert and Irene Boyle, in Coburg, a suburb of Melbourne. She was educated at Coburg High School in Melbourne.

Sporting career

After strong performances in the 1968 Australian Championships and Olympic trials, Boyle was selected to represent Australia at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, at the age of 16.[1][2] At 17, she won a silver medal in the 200-metre sprint[3] and placed 4th in the 100 metres.[4] Setting world junior records in both distances, of 22.73 and 11.20 seconds. The 200-metre record lasted 12 years before being broken; the 100-metre 8 years.

Boyle competed in the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, where she contributed to Australia's number one position on the medal tally with three gold medals, in the 100 and 200-metre sprints[5] and the 4 × 100-metre relay.[6]

At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Boyle collected two more silver medals, in the 100-metre[7] and 200-metre sprints.[8] In both races, she came second to East German Renate Stecher.[9]

In 1974, at the Christchurch British Commonwealth Games, Boyle duplicated her results at the Edinburgh Games, winning three more gold medals in the same three events.[10] Breaking the games record in both the 100 metres 11.27 and 200 metres[11] with a 22.50 clocking.

In January 1976, she and her team-mates beat an eight year old world record for the 4 × 200 metre relay in Brisbane.[12]

At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Boyle finished fourth in the final of the 100-metre sprint,[13] but was disqualified from the 200-metre-race for making two false starts.[14] A video replay later showed that she had not false started on her first start. However, Boyle did receive the honour of acting as the flag bearer for the Australian team, the first woman to do so.[15][16]

Boyle was unable to replicate her previous Commonwealth success at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, winning only a silver medal in the 100-metre sprint[17] before withdrawing from the 200m and relay due to injury.[18]

Boyle was selected to compete in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow but eventually withdrew from the team for what she stated were personal reasons, during the long dispute within Australian sporting circles over whether to join the USA led boycott of the Games.[19][20][21]

Her final major competitive appearance was at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, where she won gold in the 400-metre sprint,[22] and silver in the 4 × 400-metre relay.[23]

Through her successful career, Boyle won seven gold and two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games, in addition to her three silver medals at the Olympic Games.

Many East German athletes were later revealed to have used anabolic steroids within a systematic state-sponsored doping program. Boyle has stated she believes that she would have won gold at the 1972 Olympics if not for drug use by her competitor.[24] The IOC only banned the use of anabolic steroids in 1975.[25]

Honours

Personal life

Boyle was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 and ovarian cancer in 2000 and 2001.

Boyle works to raise community awareness about breast cancer and has been a very active board member of Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) since 1999.[33]

Boyle currently lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland with her partner Judy Wild.

See also

References
  1. "Australia's relay girls equal world record". Canberra Times. 12 October 1968. p. 30. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Raelene Boyle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  3. "A colourful day for Australia's girls". Canberra Times. 21 October 1968. p. 14. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  4. "THE BIG SHOCK IN A 'SHOCKING' TEAM". Canberra Times. 10 May 1969. p. 30. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  5. "COMMONWEALTH GAMES Raelene Boyle wins 200m gold". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 23 July 1970. p. 30. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  6. "Games end Circus style". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 27 July 1970. p. 7. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. "FIRST TRACK MEDAL". Canberra Times. 4 September 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. "Cycling success". Canberra Times. 9 September 1972. p. 38. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  9. "Miss Boyle finds new enthusiasm". Canberra Times. 6 April 1973. p. 26. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  10. "COMMONWEALTH GAMES". Canberra Times. 4 February 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  11. "COMMONWEALTH GAMES". Canberra Times. 30 January 1974. p. 28. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  12. "World record in Brisbane". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier (Port Moresby : 1969 – 1981). 27 January 1976. p. 17. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  13. "Second bronze medal". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 27 July 1976. p. 1. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  14. "Raelene faces the morning after". Canberra Times. 31 July 1976. p. 38. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  15. "BOYLE TO CARRY FLAG". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 16 July 1976. p. 1. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  16. "Opening of eye-catching colour". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 19 July 1976. p. 12. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  17. "Australia wins more golds". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 9 August 1978. p. 34. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  18. "Tendon operation for Raelene Boyle". Canberra Times. 16 August 1978. p. 40. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  19. ""Personal reasons" Boyle pulls out of Olympics". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 27 May 1980. p. 20. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  20. "Ministers attack AOF decision on Olympics". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 27 May 1980. p. 1. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  21. "Top Swimmer, Coach Quit- More decide not to go to Moscow". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 29 May 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  22. "Boyle achieves goal in NZ". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 31 January 1982. p. 26. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  23. "ATHLETICS Canberra links for Boyle". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 12 October 1982. p. 19. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  24. "HARDtalk – Former East German sprinter – Ines Geipel – BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  25. "What Performance Enhancing Drugs Have Been or Are Banned in the Olympics? - Drug Use in Sports - ProCon.org". Drug Use in Sports. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  26. Elder, Bruce (1987). The A to Z of who is who in Australia's History. Child & Associates Publishing Pty Limited. p. 71. ISBN 9780867773705. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  27. "Raelene Boyle". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  28. "Boyle among 5 awards for excellence". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). 2 August 1991. p. 28. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  29. "Raelene Boyle". It's An Honour. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  30. "Hall of Fame". Athletics Australia website. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  31. "The Queen's Birthday 2007 Honours List". The Australian Honours Secretariat. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  32. Baum, Greg (12 October 2017). "Gold goes better with green, says Legend Raelene Boyle". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  33. Webb, Carolyn. A birthday bash for Raelene Boyle Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. The Age. 1 July 2011.
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