Mary Lines

Mary Lines (later Smith, 3 December 1893 – December 1978)^[3] was a British athlete. She competed in the long jump and 60 m – 800 m running events at the 1921 Women's Olympiad, 1922 Women's Olympiad and the 1922 Women's World Games and won nine gold, two silver and one bronze medals.^[4] In 1924 she participated at the 1924 Women's Olympiad and won the gold medal in the 100 yards running and the long jump. In 1922 she participated at the Women's Olympiad in Paris and won the gold medal in the 4×110 yds relay (with Lines as first runner, Nora Callebout, Daisy Leach and Gwendoline Porter) setting a new world record.

Mary Lines

Lines in 1921
Personal information
Born	3 December 1893[1] London, United Kingdom[2]
Died	December 1978 (aged 85) Worthing, England
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	60–800 m, long jump, high jump
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m – 12.8 (1922) 200 m – 26.7 (1922) 800 m – 2:25.8 (1922) 80 mH – 13.6 (1924) LJ – 5.16 m (1924) HJ – 1.422 m (1923)[1]
Medal record Representing  United Kingdom Women's World Games 1921 Monte Carlo Long jump 1921 Monte Carlo 60 m 1921 Monte Carlo 250 m 1921 Monte Carlo 800 m 1922 Paris Long jump 1922 Paris 300 m 1922 Paris 4×110 yd 1922 Paris 60 m 1922 Paris 100 yd

In 1922, Lines became the national 100 yards champion, national 220 yards champion and national 880 yards champion. The following year she won the British titles in 100 yards, 440 yards, 120 yards hurdles and the long jump at the inaugural 1923 WAAA Championships.^[5][6][7]

Lines studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic and worked as a waitress.^[2] She retired from competitions in 1924 but not before she won two more AAA titles in the 120 yards hurdles and long jump at the 1924 WAAA Championships.^[8]

Lines married Mr. Smith, who died in 1946. In 1971 she moved from London to Worthing, together with her two unmarried sisters.^[3] She died in 1978 in a traffic accident, aged 85. She was rushing to post her Christmas mail and ran in front of a van.^[9]

References

1. Mary Lines. trackfield.brinkster.net
2. Lawrence Goldman (2012) Preface to the online release, May 2012. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
3. JAGS Athlete enters Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 17 September 2012
4. FSFI WOMEN'S WORLD GAMES. gbrathletics.com
5. "Women First A.A.A. Meeting". Sunday Express. 19 August 1923. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Women's Sports". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 20 August 1923. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
8. "Record Performances by Women". The Scotsman. 30 June 1924. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. Mel Watman, ‘Women athletes between the world wars (act. 1919–1939)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, May 2012; online edn, Jan 2013 accessed 9 Dec 2015