At the 1960 Rome Olympics, a teenager from the heart of Yorkshire became just the fourth British woman to win a gold medal in swimming – and the only one to do so for the next half century. In doing so, Anita Lonsbrough paved the way for women by becoming one of the most decorated British swimmers of all time. Though her story has become somewhat lost in the passage of time, Lonsbrough remains a sporting legend and a true Northern icon.
Lonsbrough was born in York in 1941 to parents Maud and Stanley. Maud Lonsbrough was an impressive athlete in her own right, with a particular penchant for swimming and cycling. It was through watching her mother take part in races down the local river that the young Lonsbrouogh became inspired to take up the sport a few years later.
Lonsbrough’s father served as a regimental sergeant major with the Coldstream Guards, and she spent much of her childhood in India where she first learned how to swim. But it was only when the family moved to Huddersfield in 1955 that Lonsbrough’s potential was truly realised.
Return to Yorkshire
At 14 years old, Lonsbrough joined the Huddersfield Borough Swimming Club, where she discovered her love for freestyle. A swimming prodigy by this point, she would regularly place third in the Yorkshire Championships – just behind two older girls.
While attending St Joseph’s Catholic College in Bradford, Lonsbrough would also represent her school in the regional championships. After sweeping up gold medals in three different freestyle events, she was selected to compete in the breaststroke in the 1958 season.
She was initially unsure, having always excelled in the freestyle, but everything changed after she competed in her first breaststroke event. She was a natural, quickly exceeding all her competitors. Despite still only being 16 years old, Lonsbrough had become a world class swimmer.
Commonwealth Games and Olympic success
That same year, the teenage swimming prodigy qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. It was there that her talent came to national attention, as she took home gold medals in the 200m breaststroke and the 4x100m medley relay events. To cap off an exceptional year, Lonsbrough also won a silver and bronze medal at the European Championships.
However, the best was yet to come for Lonsbrough. In 1960, she was selected to represent Great Britain at the Olympics Games in Rome. She once again competed in the event that had already brought her so much success, the 200m breaststroke.
In the finals the stakes were higher than ever, as she was up against her fiercest competitor, Wiltrud Urselmann of West Germany. Not only did Urselmann hold the world record, but she had also pipped Lonsbrough in the heats by well over a second.
Coming into the final as the underdog, 19-year-old Lonsbrough stunned the world as she not only beat Urselmann to the gold medal, but also set a new world record of 2:49.5. The teenager from York had officially become the best in the world, and only one of two athletes from Great Britain to take home a gold medal that year.
Celebrated in Yorkshire and across the UK
Lonsbrough’s record-breaking victory was widely celebrated as she arrived back in Yorkshire as the holder of the Olympic, Commonwealth and European titles. She only continued to collect accolades in the following years, striking gold three times at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and 400m individual medley events. She was awarded an MBE in 1963 for her services to swimming.
At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Lonsbrough was welcomed back as a champion and she was given the honour of being the first British female Olympic flagbearer. Although she didn’t qualify for the finals of her events, it still proved to be a life changing tournament for Lonsbrough. On the way to the tournament, she met Olympic cyclist Hugh Porter. The two hit it off instantly, and married the following year at St Peter’s Church in Huddersfield.
A continuing inspiration
Lonsbrough retired in 1964, after winning 12 international medals and setting five world records. She settled down with her husband in Wolverhampton, where she continued to spread her passion for the sport. She became a swimming instructor at Ounsdale High School and was also a swimming commentator for BBC Radio. Most recently, she has worked as a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph.
It would take nearly half a century before another British woman won an Olympic gold medal in swimming. Despite competing against opponents far older and more experienced than her throughout her career, Anita Lonsbrough’s phenomenal talent cemented her title as one of Britain’s greatest athletes of all time.
