Marianne Tucker

Marianne Chandler started canoeing at the age of 14 but did not take up racing competitively until 1956, when she was 19. A clerk for a large Ealing store, Chandler was a member of the famous Richmond Canoe Club. A fellow member of the club was Bernard Tucker, who Chandler married in 1959. Unlike his wife, Bernard only “paddled” for fun.

Having won an international event at Belgium in 1958, Marianne won the women’s 3,000 metres at the British Kayak Championships the following year and, shortly before her marriage, won her first K1 title at the Serpentine Regatta in London’s Hyde Park. It was one of many titles she won, including British titles at singles, pairs, and fours, including the 500 metres kayak singles title three years in succession 1964-66. She also won the National long-distance title over 14 miles.

Tucker was selected for two Olympics, the first being at Roma in 1960 when she reached the K-1 500 metres semi-final after qualifying via the repêchage. Tucker was the only woman in the eight-strong British canoe team at the 1960 Games but was one of three Richmond members in the squad, along with Ted Cronk and Bob Lowery.

Selected again for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Tucker won the kayak singles at the Serpentine Open Regatta in London’s Hyde Park for the third time just a few weeks before the start of The Games. Unfortunately, at Tokyo she could not repeat that form and failed to progress beyond the repêchage. Shortly after competing in the World Championships at East Berlin in 1966, Tucker announced her retirement from the sport. In 1969 she married Alistair Wilson who had also competed at the Olympics in canoeing.