Marise Ann Millicent Chamberlain (born 5 December 1935) is a New Zealand former middle-distance runner. She is the only New Zealand woman to win an Olympic medal in track athletics ( Lorraine Moller won a medal in the marathon). She set world records over 440 yards, 400 metres and 1 mile. At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Western Australia, she won a silver medal over 880 yards, behind Australian Dixie Willis. Two years later, at the Summer Olympics in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, she won the bronze medal behind Ann Packer (gold) and

Maryvonne Dupureur Maryvonne Samson Dupureur (24 May 1937 – 7 January 2008) was a French middle-distance runner. Competing in the 800 m event she won silver medals at the 1964 Olympics and 1967 European Indoor Games; she also took part in the 1960 and 1968 Olym ...

(silver), the top five runners beating the old Olympic record time set by Dupureur in the semifinals. At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica Chamberlain stumbled just before the finish line when leading in the 880 yds final and missed out on a medal. In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, Chamberlain was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to athletics. Chamberlain was inducted into the

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall o ...

in 1995.

Honorific eponym

Chamberlain Place, in the

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

suburb of

Chartwell Chartwell is a country house near Westerham, Kent, in South East England. For over forty years it was the home of Winston Churchill. He bought the property in September 1922 and lived there until shortly before his death in January 1965. In t ...

, is named in Chamberlain's honour.

References

External links

*
Page with Photo at ''Sporting Heroes''
1935 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games New Zealand female middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for New Zealand Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand Athletes from Christchurch Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand World record setters in athletics (track and field) Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games {{NewZealand-athletics-bio-stub