Myrtle Cook

Myrtle Cook
Myrtle Cook, c. 1928
Personal information
Full nameMyrtle Alice Cook
BornMyrtle Alice Cook
(1902-01-05)January 5, 1902
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedMarch 18, 1985(1985-03-18) (aged 83)
Elora, Ontario, Canada
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
CountryCanada
SportAthletics
Event(s)
100 m, 4 × 100 m relay
ClubCanadian Ladies' A.A.C.
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing Canada Canada
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam 4 × 100 m relay

Myrtle Alice Cook (also competed as Myrtle McGowan) (January 5, 1902 – March 18, 1985) was a Canadian athlete and journalist, who won the gold medal in the women's 4 × 100 metres at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Her column, "In the Women's Spotlight", appeared in the Montreal Star for 40 years.

Biography

Cook (left, #675), winning in a preliminary heat in the women's 100 m race at the 1928 Summer Olympic Games.

Born in Toronto, she competed for Canada at the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, Netherlands where she won the gold medal in the women's 4 × 100 metres with her teammates Fanny Rosenfeld (also 100 m silver medallist), Ethel Smith (100 m bronze medallist) and Jane Bell.[1]

In 1929, Cook began a career writing for the Montreal Star, where she contributed the column "In the Women's Spotlight" for the next 40 years.[1]

Cook was involved in ice hockey and served as president of the Dominion Women's Amateur Hockey Association prior to 1937.[2]

Cook equalled Betty Robinson's Women's 100 m World Record on August 1, 1931.

Cook contributed significantly to women's sports in Canada, helping to establish the Toronto Ladies Athletic Club, serving as director of athletics for the Canadian Ladies Athletic Club, and founding a branch of that club in Montreal.[1] During the Second World War, she was active in fundraising and assisted in training military recruits.[1]

She died in Elora, Ontario on March 18, 1985.[1][3]

Legacy

Firsts for women

  • Member of Canada's 4×100 metre relay team that won the gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics (Amsterdam), the first Olympic Games to include women's track and field events.[4]
  • Among the first Canadian women to compete in Olympic athletics following the International Olympic Committee's decision to admit women's track events in 1928.[5]

Medals and competitive achievements

  • Gold medal – 4×100 metre relay, 1928 Summer Olympics (Amsterdam), representing Canada.[4]
  • Fourth place – 100 metres final, 1928 Summer Olympics (Amsterdam).[6]
  • Canadian national champion – 100 yards (1928).[7]
  • Canadian national champion – 220 yards (1928).[7]

Awards and honours

  • Named Canada's female athlete of the year by the Canadian Press (1932).[8]
  • Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1955).[9]
  • Inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1971).[10]

Influence on women's sport and journalism

  • Began serving as a sports columnist with the Montreal Star in 1929, becoming one of Canada's first nationally prominent female sports journalists.[4]
  • Organized the Montréal Major Ladies' Softball League and the Montréal Major Ladies' Hockey League, and formed a Montréal branch of the Canadian Ladies' Athletic Club, serving as its athletic director.[4]
  • Served as president of the Dominion Women's Amateur Hockey Association, and resigned from the position in September 1937 after four years on the association's executive.[11]
  • During World War II, served as track coach for the Canadian Armed Services in the Montréal area.[4]

Cultural legacy

  • Subject of the CBC Archives retrospective collection "The Matchless Six," documenting Canada's 1928 women's Olympic team.[12]
  • Profiled in historical accounts of early Canadian women's sport in The Canadian Encyclopedia.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Myrtle Cook". Collaboratory for Writing and Research on Culture. Retrieved March 28, 2023. (subscription required)
  2. ^ "'Pegger May Head Ladies' Hockey Body". Winnipeg Free Press. January 4, 1940. p. 13.
  3. ^ "Myrtle McGowan top Olympic athlete". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. March 19, 1985. p. 63.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Myrtle Cook". Olympedia. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  5. ^ "The Matchless Six: Canada's first Olympic women's team". Olympics.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  6. ^ "Myrtle Cook Results". Team Canada. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "Cook, Myrtle". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  8. ^ "Early CP athlete of the year winners". CBC Sports. December 30, 1932. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  9. ^ "Myrtle Cook". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  10. ^ "Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Inductees". Team Canada. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  11. ^ "D.W.A.H.A. Prexy Tend# Resignation" (PDF). The Daily Herald (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan). September 23, 1937. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  12. ^ "The Matchless Six". CBC Archives. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.