At the age of 19, Clarice Hanson was the Bradford and District, and Yorkshire women’s gymnastic champion, runner-up in the Northern Counties Championship, and second in the Yorkshire diving championship. She held the Northern Counties Gymnastics title every year from 1932-38 and in 1933 captured her first British individual title on home soil at Bradford. Hanson retained her title in the next two years but did not compete in 1936 and 1937. She regained her title in 1938, however, and won it for a fifth time the following year. That would be her last competition until 1947 when she lost her National title to Pat Hirst of Leeds, but won it back in 1948 when Hanson was also selected for her second Olympics. She was scheduled to captain the Great Britain Olympic team, but a training injury forced her out of the competition. In 1937, Clarice married Eric Bell, a local gymnast and weightlifter, and the pair were keen tennis players.
Great Britain