Donna Hartley-Wass
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
, born Donna-Marie Louise Murray and formerly known as Donna Hartley (1 May 1955
– 7 June 2013
), was a British
athlete
An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance.
Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...
.
Career
Hartley was born in
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1955. She was a south of England sprint champion, and won the AAA's 200 metres in 1972 then the 400 metres in 1975. In 1977 she was U.K. 400 metres champion. In 1977, she married fellow athlete
Bill Hartley. The marriage later ended in divorce.
In 1978, Hartley won two Commonwealth gold medals in Edmonton, Canada, where she won the 400 metres, and the 4x400 relay. In 1979, she was European cup semi finalist winner in both 400, and 400 relay again. She also was runner up in European cup finals in 1975, and 1977 in 400, and 400 relay again.
Sponsored by the Midland Bank, Worked in Liverpool.
In 1980, she competed at the Moscow Olympic Games where she won a bronze medal in the
4 x 400 relay.
Later life
After retiring from athletics Hartley married Robert Wass, better known as comedian and actor
Bobby Knutt
Robert Andrew Wass (25 November 1945 – 25 September 2017), known professionally as Bobby Knutt, was an English actor and comedian. He was known throughout his acting career for appearing as Albert Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' ...
. As Donna Hartley-Wass, she competed for several years on the UK women's body building circuit, winning the National Amateur Body Building Association's Miss Britain Physique trophy in 1988, having placed third the previous year. Her bodybuilding career was short-lived and for several years after that she ran a line dancing school in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
near the family home. Hartley-Wass featured on the front cover of ''Health & Strength'' magazine.
Magazine Cover
/ref>
Hartley trained at a Sheffield health studio jointly owned by Bobby Knutt. Under the guidance of the health studio owner and ex-Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
coach Tony Toms, Hartley achieved national success very quickly on the women's bodybuilding circuit.
She died while sunbathing in her back garden on 7 June 2013, being discovered by her husband of 26 years.
Medals
*Gold medalist (400 m relay) 1978 Commonwealth Games
The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with apar ...
.
*Bronze medalist (400 m relay). 1980 Olympic Games The 1980 Olympics may refer to:
* 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, New York, United States
* 1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officiall ...
.
References
External links
British Olympic Association profile
Donna Hartley's obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Donna
1955 births
2013 deaths
English female bodybuilders
English female sprinters
Olympic athletes of Great Britain
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Southampton
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
Olympic female sprinters
Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games