Marise Chamberlain Explained

Birth Place:Christchurch, New Zealand
Height:1.69m (05.54feet)
Weight:55kg (121lb)
Sport:Athletics
Event:800 m
Club:Canterbury
Pb:800 m – 2:01.4 (1962)[1]
Show-Medals:yes

Marise Ann Millicent Chamberlain (born 5 December 1935) is a New Zealand former middle-distance runner. As of 2024, she is the only New Zealand woman to win an Olympic medal in track athletics (Lorraine Moller won a medal in the marathon). She set world records over 440 yards, 400 metres and 1 mile.[2]

At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, she won a silver medal over 880 yards, behind Australian Dixie Willis. Two years later, at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she won the bronze medal[1] [3] behind Ann Packer (gold) and Maryvonne Dupureur (silver), the top five runners beating the old Olympic record time set by Dupureur in the semifinals.[4]

At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica Chamberlain stumbled just before the finish line when leading in the 880 yds final and missed out on a medal.

In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, Chamberlain was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to athletics.[5]

Chamberlain was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. She has lived in the Christchurch suburb of South New Brighton all her life. Since Earle Wells' death in 2021, she is the only surviving New Zealand medallist from the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Honorific eponym

Chamberlain Place, in the Hamilton suburb of Chartwell, is named in Chamberlain's honour.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174202/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ch/marise-chamberlain-1.html Marise Chamberlain
  2. News: Smith . Tony . Meet Marise Chamberlain, New Zealand’s only female track Olympic medallist, 60 years on . 3 August 2024 . The Press.
  3. Web site: Marise Chamberlain | New Zealand Olympic Committee. olympic.org.nz . 2011. 24 October 2011.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174151/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1964/ATH/womens-800-metres.html Athletics at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games: Women's 800 metres
  5. Web site: Queen's Birthday honours list 2003 . 2 June 2003 . Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet . 19 June 2020.
  6. News: Honouring sportspeople . 2 November 2012 . Waikato Times . 9.