Nora Callebout

Nora Eveline Callebout (1895 – 1995) was a British track athlete who won ten medals across two Women's World Games, a precursor to women's sports entering the Olympics and was part of the record-setting 4x110 yds relay team in 1922.

Nora Callebout

Callebout in 1922
Personal information
Born	29 April 1895
Died	1 January 1995 (aged 99)
Alma mater	Royal Holloway
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	60–300m, relay
Medal record Representing  United Kingdom Women's World Games 1922 Paris 60 m 1922 Paris 4x75m 1922 Paris 60 m 1922 Paris 4×1 laps 1922 Paris 100 yd 1922 Paris 4x110 yd 1923 Monte Carlo 200 m 1923 Monte Carlo 4x1 laps 1923 Monte Carlo 4x100 m 1923 Monte Carlo 60 m

Life

Callebout graduated from Holloway College, University of London, in 1917 with a Class I BA in mathematics.^[1]

At the first Women's World Games in Paris in 1922, originally called the 'Women's Olympic Games' until objections from the Olympic Committee, Callebout won six medals in track events.^[2] She took bronze in the 60-metre dash, silver in the 4x100 m relay, and gold in four events: the 60m, 4x1 175 m laps, 100 yards, and the 4x110 yards.^[3][4] In that event she set a world record of 51.8 seconds along with Gwendoline Porter, Daisy Leach, and team captain Mary Lines.^[5]

A week after the Games, Callebout travelled to Brussels with the London Olympiades Athletic Club to compete in eight events against Femina Sports Club of Brussels and the Paris Club Femina AC. The London Olympiades dominated the match, with Callebout setting two Belgian records (10.6 seconds in the 80m and 45.4 seconds in the 300m).^[6]

In 1922, Callebout became the national 100 yards champion.^[7][8]

Returning to the second World Games in Monte Carlo in 1923, Callebout again won four golds, this time in 60m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x1 laps. In 1923, she returned to university and gained an MA.^[1]

In 1929, she was elected honorary secretary of the Women's Amateur Athletic Association.^[9]

Callebout's married name was Coates.^[10]

References

1. "Callebaut, Nora". mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
2. Williams, Jean (24 April 2014). A Contemporary History of Women's Sport, Part One. Routledge. p. 211. doi:10.4324/9781315795157. ISBN 978-1-317-74666-9.
3. "Charging Amazons and Fair Invaders: The 1922 Dick, Kerr's Ladies' Soccer Tour of North America - Sowing Seed", Europe, Sport, World, Routledge, pp. 161–186, 4 July 2013, doi:10.4324/9781315038759-12, ISBN 978-1-315-03875-9, retrieved 19 June 2024
4. Williams, Jean (24 April 2014). A Contemporary History of Women's Sport, Part One. Routledge. p. 133. doi:10.4324/9781315795157. ISBN 978-1-317-74666-9.
5. Watman, Mel (2012). "Women athletes between the world wars (act. 1919–1939)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103699. Retrieved 19 June 2024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
6. Robinson, Lynne (1996). "'Tripping Daintily into the Arena': A Social History of English Women's Athletics 1921-1960". p. 87. doi:10.7287/peerj.preprints.1711v2/supp-3. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
7. "The Scotsman". Girls' 100 Yards CHampionship. 5 June 1922. Retrieved 1 December 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
9. Bolton, Steve (2022). "1922 US Women Pioneers of Track and Field: A Tribute to the Women who Crossed the Atlantic | Playing Pasts". Retrieved 19 June 2024.
10. "Nora Callebout". Athletics Podium. Retrieved 19 June 2024.

External links

• Nora Callebout pictured at Getty