Beryl MITCHELL

Beryl Mitchell was one of the pioneering British women who competed in the first women’s rowing events at Montreal in 1976. She took part in the coxless pairs with Linda Clark and finished 10th. Four years later, the physical education teacher from Streatham competed in the single sculls and was the only competitor form a non-Eastern Bloc country to win a heat. She eventually finished fifth in the final, and after the 2016 Rio Games it was still the best finish by a British woman, although Guin Batten equalled her placing in 1996.

The year after the Moscow Olympics, Mitchell became the first British woman to win a medal at the World Rowing Championships when she finished second in the single sculls to the 1980 Olympic champion, Romania’s Sanda Toma by just one third of a length. It was the first medal at any major championship by a British woman since Penny Chuter won bronze at the 1962 European Championships. Mitchell won the women’s invitational single sculls at Henley in 1982 and teamed up with Clark again for the 1985 World Rowing Championships at Hazewinkel, Belgium, and they had the honour of becoming the first British women to win a world championship gold medal when they won the lightweight double sculls from the French pair Brigitte Helmers and Alrun Urbach by nearly three seconds..

In 1987 Beryl Crockford, as she was then known, was the first woman to be nominated for membership of the Leander Club after its rule change allowing female members, and in 1990 she was appointed the instructional committee chairman of the Amateur Rowing Association. Beryl emigrated to Australia and became a coach at Drummoyne Rowing Club and Sydney Boys High School. Sadly, she lost her life following a tragic accident in 2016 when she ran into the back of a parked car whilst taking part in a 50km cycle ride at Sydney’s Olympic Park. She died nearly two weeks later from her injuries.