Carole Quinton

Inspired by Fanny Blankers-Koen, Carol Quinton was spotted by Birchfield Harriers coach Dorothy Nelson Neal and, after joining Birchfield as a 13-year-old, Quinton was coached as a sprinter and hurdler. Ten years later she was an Olympic silver medallist.

Quinton went to her first Olympics as a 19-year-old in 1956 and reached the sprint hurdles semi-final but trailed in sixth and last. Four years later she went to Rome having won the WAAA 80m hurdles title in 1958 and 1960 and finished second to Thelma Hopkins and Mary Bignal respectively in 1957 and 1959. At the Rome Games, Quinton came up against the strong Soviet hurdler Irina Press in both her heat and semi-final and they did battle for a third time in the final. Again Press came home first, but just 01s ahead of Quinton, with Bignal just missing out on a medal in fourth place.

Quinton won two other major international championship silver medals. Both were in 1958 when she won silver for England in the hurdles at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, and the following month won another silver with the Great Britain relay squad at the European Championships in Stockholm.

In August 1961 Quinton married water polo player Dave Barr, who later became the Great Britain coach. She retired that Summer and was the reigning Midlands 100 metres, and 80 m hurdles champion at the time.

Personal Bests: 100 – 11.9 (1960); 80H – 10.99 (1960).