“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
Thanks and No thanks Mr Hitler
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Mike Fleet, Fleet Emp3books, 2015. ISBN 978-1-910734-04-9
The book tells the remarkable story of Dorothy Tyler-Odam, who competed in the 1936 Olympics as a 16 year old, winning a high jump silver medal, and at three subsequent Olympics.
The book gives astonishing insights into how the Olympics have changed over the years. In 1936, Team GB’s budget was so tight that she had to make her own vest and shorts! The support staff at those games included chaperones for the female athletes but neither physiotherapists nor coaches!
Dorothy was incredibly unlucky to be the silver medallist in both 1936 and 1948 as in both cases she cleared the same height as the winner. In 1936, the tying athletes had to take part in a jump off but under current count back rules, Dorothy would have won. Ironically the rule was changed two days after the Olympic high jump. In 1948, Dorothy felt that she would have won a jump off as the athlete she tied with (Alice Coachman) – who won on count back, would have been unable to take part in a jump off as she was carrying an injury. Thus had the 1936 tie-break procedure been in place in 1948 and vice-versa, Dorothy would have had two golds. And of course, the war deprived her of a 1940 and 1944 Olympic opportunity when she would have been at her peak.
The foreword to the book is by Dick Fosbury, a very generous gesture, as Dorothy – privately and to his face – said that the Fosbury fop was cheating and “simply NOT high-jumping”. She believed “going over head first was diving” not jumping. (When Dorothy started her career there was in place a no-diving rule.)
She was a remarkable but feisty lady. When she received her OBE, Prince Charles remarked that it had taken her a long time to come to receive, she replied: “Well you have waited a long time to ask me!” One feels the prince was joking and Dorothy was not!
A must read for any student of athletics history and a good story for anyone.
I was privileged to meet her in 2011.