Heather Armitage
Quick Facts
Biography
Heather Joy Armitage (later Young, then McClelland; born 17 March 1933) is a retired British sprinter. She competed in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics in the 100 m, 200 m and 4×100 m events and won two medals in the relay. Her best individual achievement was sixth place in the 100 m in 1956. In 1958, she won three medals at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff and then took 100 m gold at the 1958 European Championships in Athletics in Stockholm, thereby becoming the first British woman to win an individual European track title.
In the 1950s she married Frank Young, a fellow teacher, and competed as Heather Young. They had a daughter Alison, but later divorced, with Armitage marrying the former association football player John McClelland. She retired from competitions in 1960 and devoted herself to teaching, mostly on religious topics.