Glenda Reiser, (16 June 1955 – 6 January 2008) was 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 ...

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

. She was born in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and was a member of the Ottawa Kinsmen Harriers. She switched from

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

aged 15. She then progressed very rapidly in the sport and excelled as a junior, running the 1500 metres in 4 minutes 15.9 seconds. She competed in the inaugural women's 1500 metre Olympic event at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, where she finished second in her heat with a time of 4 minutes 6.7 seconds to

Lyudmila Bragina Lyudmila Ivanovna Bragina (russian: Людмила Ивановна Брагина, born 24 July 1943) is a retired Soviet and Russian middle distance runner. She competed for the Soviet Union in the 1500 m at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics; she won ...

who broke the world record. Reiser's time was a World Junior Record. She was then eliminated in the semifinals. On September 15, 1973 Glenda broke the world record for the women's mile. At the summer

Universiade The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

held in Moscow in 1973, Glenda took home a silver medal in the 1500 metres. She also took a silver medal in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

, and a bronze medal in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

1973 Pacific Conference Games The 1973 Pacific Conference Games was the second edition of the international athletics competition between five Pacific coast nations: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. It was held on June 27 and 28 in Toronto. A tota ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

; where she had a tight finish with Mary Decker (USA) and Charlene Rendina (Aus), in which all 3 medalist finished within 1/10 of a second of one other. She was the three time Canadian 1500-metre champion, won a gold medal at the distance at the

1974 Commonwealth Games The 1974 British Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1974 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The Games were off ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand breaking the games record twice along the way. She died aged 52 after a long illness. Glenda still holds the Canadian junior records at 800 meters, 1000 metres, 1500 metres, and the mile more than 40 years after setting the records.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reiser, Glenda 1955 births 2008 deaths Canadian female middle-distance runners Track and field athletes from Ottawa Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Olympic track and field athletes for Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games silver medalists for Canada Medalists at the 1973 Summer Universiade Medallists at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Canadian Track and Field Championships winners