Sheila Hoskin

At the age of nine, Sheila Hoskin was proving to be an outstanding sprinter. She was so good that her teacher told her to race against the boys, because she was too quick for the girls. Despite being an excellent sprinter, Hoskin later made her mind up that she wanted to be a long jumper, and despite coaches telling her she was too small, she was determined to make her mark, and she did. At the age of 15 she won the first of two successive WAAA Under-17 titles in 1952 and in 1955 finished second to Thelma Hopkins for the senior WAAA title. The following year she won the senior title and then regained it in 1958.

Selected for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Hoskin went to the Games in confident mood. She became the first British woman to jump 20 feet, in an inter-club match at Tooting Bec while representing the Richmond club Spartan Ladies. She left Melbourne disappointed, however, while jumping with a strapped ankle, as she registered three “no marks” in the qualifying round and was eliminated.

Two years later, when the British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, Hoskin narrowly won the long jump gold medal from team-mate Mary Bignal. One month later, however, there was more disappointment for Hoskin at the European Championships when, despite qualifying for the final, she finished 14th and last. A former comptometer (mechanical calculator) operator, Hoskin married quantity surveyor Philip Turner in 1961.

Personal Best: LJ – 6.145 (1956).