Sylvia Cheeseman (born 19 May 1929) is an English retired sprinter. Competing in relays, she won two medals at the 1950 British Empire Games and one at the 1952 Olympics. Individually she was eliminated in the 200 m at the 1948 Olympics and in the 1952 Olympics she won her heat but was eliminated in the semi-final. She won the

Amateur Athletic Association of England The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

title in this event in 1946–1949 and 1951–1952, placing second in 1950.

Early life

Cheeseman's mother was a concert pianist, her father was a double bass player and a founding member of the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, and her sister was an international model. She lived on Derwent Road, in

Whitton, London Whitton is an area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically, the boundaries of Whitton were the north-western part of Twickenham manor, bounded internally by the sections of the River Crane and the Duke of Northumber ...

. She attended Spring Grove Grammar School.''Marylebone Mercury'' Saturday 13 September 1947, page 3

Personal life

In 1957 she married the Olympic runner

John Disley John Ivor Disley CBE (20 November 1928 – 8 February 2016) was a Welsh athlete. He competed mainly in the 3000 metres steeplechase before co-founding the London Marathon and becoming active in sports promotion and administration. He was born in ...

; they had two daughters. After retiring from competitions, she worked as a freelance journalist in China and all around Europe.

References

External links

* 1929 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England English female sprinters British female sprinters Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain People from Whitton, London Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Great Britain Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic female sprinters Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games {{UK-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub