Rosella Thorne

Rosella Thorne took up track and field athletics as a high school student in Montreal during the late 1940s and joined the city’s Olympic Athletic Club in 1947. She won her first national title in 1948, in the 80 metres hurdles, and repeated this feat in 1949. She was then selected to represent Canada at the 1950 British Empire Games, where she was fifth in the high jump, seventh in the long jump, and eliminated in the heats of the 80 metres hurdles. That same year, she was elected the top woman athlete in Canada by the national federation for her numerous Quebec provincial titles.

Thorne’s next stop was the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, where she was eliminated in the first round of the 100 metres, the long jump, and the 4x100 metres relay, the latter alongside Tiny O’Halloran, Luella Law, and Eleanor McKenzie. Thorne was also entered into the 80 metres hurdles, but did not start the event. After capturing additional titles in 1953, she made her last major international appearance at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, where she just missed the podium in fourth in the long jump. She married in 1956, retired from active competition, and moved to the United States, where she worked as a math teacher at Merced College. During her athletic career, she also played amateur basketball.

Personal Bests: 100y – 11.3 (1950); LJ – 5.46 (1950).