Thelma Hopkins: Olympic high jump silver medallist and ex-world record holder dies aged 88
Thelma Hopkins, the 1956 Olympic high jump silver medalist who won Empire Games gold for Northern Ireland and was a world record holder, has died aged 88.
Hopkins lived in Canada for many years and died on January 10 in Edmonton.
The high jumper was born in Kingston upon Hull in 1936 and later moved to Northern Ireland. She won her first Northern Ireland senior title in 1951 at the age of 15, winning both the high jump and long jump.
Three years later, she represented Northern Ireland at the Empire Games in Vancouver, winning gold in the high jump and silver in the long jump.
Later that summer, Hopkins won the high jump title for Great Britain at the European Championships in Bern.
On May 5, 1956, Hopkins broke the high jump world record with a jump of 1.74m at the Cherryvale Sports Ground in Belfast. Six months later, the then 20-year-old won an Olympic silver medal in Melbourne as part of Team GB.
A true all-rounder, Hopkins represented Ireland in international hockey, making 40 appearances, in addition to squash.
Her Irish hockey teammates included Maeve Kyle, who also had a hugely successful track and field career.
In 2006, the 70-year-old returned to Cherryvale Sports Ground to unveil a plaque commemorating her world record achievement.
The Northern Ireland long jump record of 6.11m set by Hopkins in 1956 was not broken until 2013.
