Violet Blanche Webb (later ''Simpson'', 3 February 1915 – 27 May 1999) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

athlete who competed for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

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 duri ...

and in 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-sp ...

. She was born in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has formed ...

and died in

Northwood, London Northwood is an affluent area in northwest London, England. It is located within the London Borough of Hillingdon on the border with Hertfordshire and from Charing Cross. Northwood was part of the ancient parish of Ruislip, Middlesex and has f ...

. She was the mother of

Janet Simpson Janet Mary Simpson (2 September 1944 – 14 March 2010) was a British athlete who competed in sprint events and the 400 metres. She competed for Great Britain in the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan in the 4 x 100 metres relay, wh ...

. In 1932, she travelled to Los Angeles as one of five women entered by the Women's Amateur Athletic Association at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics as Britain's first female Olympians in athletics events. She finished fifth in the 80 metre hurdles event. She also featured in the 4x100 metre relay, where she replaced the injured Ethel Johnson, and won the bronze medal with her teammates,

Eileen Hiscock Eileen May Hiscock, later Wilson, (25 August 1909 – 3 September 1958) was an English track and field athlete who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics. She was born in Blackheath, London. At th ...

Gwendoline Porter Gwendoline Alice Porter (25 April 190229 August 1993) was a British track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. She was born in Ilford, London. She worked in the head office of an insurance company. In 1922 she participated ...

and

Nellie Halstead Nellie Halstead (19 September 1910 – 11 November 1991) was an English track and field athlete who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She was born in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, Radcliffe ...

. Four years later at the Berlin Olympics, she was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 80 metre hurdles competition. Her daughter,

, won the same medal in the same event at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. Webb competed in the 1934 Empire Games, held in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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 b ...

, winning the bronze medal in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

. In the 80 metre hurdles, she was eliminated in the heats. She also competed at the Women's World Games of 1934, winning a bronze medal at 80 metre hurdles. She married Charles H. Simpson in 1937.

References

sports-reference.com

1915 births 1999 deaths People from Willesden Sportspeople from the London Borough of Brent British female sprinters English female sprinters British female long jumpers English female long jumpers British female hurdlers English female hurdlers Olympic athletes for Great Britain Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics English Olympic medallists Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Women's World Games medalists Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games {{England-athletics-bio-stub