Dorothy Manley

Dorothy Manley took up athletics as a schoolgirl, but had to wait until after World War II to represent Great Britain internationally. Despite finishing fifth in the 100 metres event at the 1948 national championships, she was selected for the delegation to that year’s London Olympics and won a surprising silver medal behind the legendary Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands. She was also a member of the 4x100 metres relay that placed fourth.

Manley won her only national title, in the 200 metres, in 1950 and was thus selected for the 1950 British Empire Games team. There, she took silver in 220-110-220-110 yards relay (with Doris Batter, Margaret Walker, and Sylvia Cheeseman) and bronze in the 110-220-110 yards relay (alongside Walker and Cheeseman), in addition to placing fourth in the high jump and being eliminated in the heats of the 100 and 220 yards races. At that year’s European Championships, she won the 4x100 metres relay with June Foulds-Paul, Jean Desforges, and the non-Olympian Elspeth Hay and bronze in the 200 metres.

After setting a world record in the 4x220 metres relay in 1951, Manley retired the following year due to a thyroid condition. After her first husband, Peter Hall, died in 1973, she married John Parlett, a teammate from the London Games. By career, she taught piano.

Personal Best: 100 – 12.0 (1948).