Eva Dawes (later ''Spinks'', September 17, 1912 – May 30, 2009) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

athlete who competed mainly in the high jump. She was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. She competed for Canada in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held dur ...

held in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, United States in the high jump where she won the bronze medal. She also qualified for both the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

but was, at 15, too young to go, and the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics ( German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi- ...

which she chose to boycott because they were held in Nazi Germany.Open Door: Olympic medal winner tells her story
/ref> At the 1934 Empire Games she won the silver medal in the high jump competition. Dawes moved to

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 ...

in 1937 and married Arthur Spinks. She lived in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

until moving to

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cro ...

in 1969. She lived in the St. Helens retirement home from 2003 until her death. On 19 March 2000 Eva attended the book launch of 'A Proper Spectacle - Women Olympians 1900 - 1936' with other sportswomen from the 1920s and 1930s. She died on May 30, 2009, two weeks after a stroke.Eva Dawes obituary
/ref>

References

External links

1912 births 2009 deaths Athletes from Toronto Canadian female high jumpers Olympic track and field athletes for Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games {{Canada-Olympic-medalist-stub