Yvette Williams at the Empire Games, 1950

Yvette Williams at the Empire Games, 1950

From Berlin in 1936 when Jack Lovelock won the 1,500 metres, to Montreal in 1976 when John Walker repeated the feat, New Zealand had a strong tradition of success in Olympic athletics. The finest woman athlete during these years was Yvette Williams, who won the gold medal for the long jump at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. She is shown here jumping at the Empire Games in Auckland two years earlier.