Heather Jean Matthews (formerly Thomson; born 1946) is a New Zealand middle-distance runner. She competed at the

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 ...

, winning a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in the women's 3000 m. In the 1980s, she turned to international road relays, and more recently has managed New Zealand road relay teams. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to athletics, in the

1988 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1988 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

. She is featured in the New Zealand short film ''On the Run'' training adjacent to the Auckland Airport.

References

* ''Athletes at the Games'' by John Clark, page 140 (1998, Athletics New Zealand)

External links

*
Heather Matthews - Art tutor
'' article by Terry Moore New Zealand female middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics 1946 births Living people Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games {{NewZealand-athletics-bio-stub