Lines, Mary (1893-1978), athlete

Mary Lines was born in 1893 and attended the Regent Street Polytechnic as a student whilst working as a waitress. Whilst at the Polytechnic she became heavily involved in athletics, her strengths being running and long jump, and became one of the Polytechnic’s most successful athletes. Women gradually started taking part in the Olympic Games from 1900 but unlike men’s athletics, women were not able to compete in track and field events until 1928. Instead, Lines competed at the Women’s Olympiad. At the 1921 Monte Carlo Olympiad she achieved huge success with gold in the 60m, 250m, 4x75m relay, 4x175m relay and long jump. She also got silver in the 800m.

Lines repeated this success at the 1922 Paris Olympiad bringing home gold in the long jump, 300m, and 4x110 yard relay (setting a new world record of 51.4 seconds), and a silver in the 60m. That same year she competed in the first Women’s Amateur Athletic Association Championships in London and became British Champion in the 100 yards, 440 yards, hurdling and long jump.
At the 1924 London Olympiad she won a further three gold medals, this time including the 120 yard hurdles. She then retired from athletics. Mary Lines died in 1978.