Anita Neil

Anita Neil
MBE
Personal information
Born (1950-04-05) 5 April 1950 (age 74)
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England
Sport
SportSprinting
Event100 metres
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 1970 Edinburgh 4 x 100 metres relay
Representing  Great Britain
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1969 Athens 100 metres
Bronze medal – third place 1969 Athens 4 × 100 metres relay

Doris Anita Neil MBE OLY[1] (born 5 April 1950) is a retired British international sprinter. In 1968, she became the first black British woman Olympian.[2] From an impoverished family Neil was forced to rely on charity to travel to competitions and obtain equipment. Eventually the lack of a coach, insufficient training facilities, and having to support her family financially saw Neil forced into early retirement at just 23 years old.

  1. ^ Bagley, Alison (6 May 2021). "It's official! Wellingborough sprint hero Anita confirmed as an Olympics history maker". Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  2. ^ Bagchi, Rob (22 October 2020). "The story of black British sportswomen - from early pioneers through to current day". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 April 2021.