| 1923 WAAA Championships | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 August |
| Host city | London, Great Britain |
| Venue | Oxo Sports Ground |
| Level | Senior |
| Type | Outdoor |
1924 → | |
The 1923 WAAA Championships were the first national track and field championships for women in the UK.[1][2][3][4][5] The tournament was held on 18 August[6] 1923[7] at the Oxo Sport Grounds[8] in London, United Kingdom.
After the successful first 1922 Women's World Games in Paris and the three Women's Olympiads (1921 Women's Olympiad, 1922 Women's Olympiad and 1923 Women's World Games) in Monaco the interest for women's sports also grew internationally. In 1922 the "Women's Amateur Athletic Association" (WAAA) was founded[2] in the UK, that year several[1] ”national” women’s track meet were held.
In 1923[6] the WAAA[3][8] now organised the first official[1] British women championships[2] in track and field (WAAA[5] Championships[7]). In the US the "Amateur Athletic Union" (AAU) sponsored the first national championship for women in track and field on 29 September 1923.
The meet was held on 18 August[3] at the Oxo Sport Grounds[8][1] in Downham,[2] Bromley[5][6] in South London.
The athletes[2] competed[1] in 11 events:[5][8] running 100 yards, 220 yards, 440 yards, 880 yards, relay race 660 yards, hurdling 120 yards, high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin and track walk[4] 880 yards. 3 unofficial world records[3][6] were set:[7] Mary Lines in running 440 yards and hurdles 120 yards and Edith Trickey in track walk 880 yards. The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100-yard run | Mary Lines (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 12.0 sec | Rose Thompson | Evelyn Harris | ||
| 220-yard run | Eileen Edwards | 27.0 sec | Rose Thompson | Vera Palmer | ||
| 440-yard run | Mary Lines (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 62.4 sec WR | Louise Low | P Batt | ||
| 880-yard run | Edith Trickey (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 2:40.2 min | Gladys Lane | Phyllis Hall | ||
| 660-yard relay | London Olympiades "A" | 1:22.6 min | Manor Park Athletics Club | London Olympiades "B" | ||
| 120-yard hurdles | Mary Lines (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 18.8 sec WR | Sophie Eliott-Lynn (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | Hilda Hatt (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | DQ | |
| High jump | Hilda Hatt (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 4 ft 9 inches / 1.45 m | Ivy Lowman | 4 feet 8 inches / 1.42 m | Sylvia Stone | 4 feet 7 inches / 1.40 m |
| Long jump | Mary Lines (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 16 ft 3.5 inches / 4.96 m | Hilda Hatt (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 15 ft 11.5 inches / 4.86 m | Gladys Elliott | 15 ft 7 inches / 4.66 m |
| Shot put(8 lb) | Florence Birchenough (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 16.17 (yds?) | Beatrice Manton | 16.00 | Sophie Eliott-Lynn (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 15.78 |
| Two-handed javelin | Sophie Eliott-Lynn (Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club) | 35.76 (yds?) | E Willis | 31.08 | Sylvia Stone | 30.53 |
| 880-yard track walk | Edith Trickey | 4:35.0 min WR | Betty Keeling | D Clark | ||
Many of the participating athletes also competed in the 1924 Women's Olympiad at Stamford Bridge.