Doris Anita Neil (born 5 April 1950) is a retired British international sprinter. In 1968, she became the first black British woman Olympian at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

Early life

Neil was born in

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a market town in the North Northamptonshire, Unitary Authority area, England, from London and from Northampton, north of the River Nene. Originally named "Wendelingburgh" (the stronghold of Wændel's people), the Anglo ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, to an African-American father and a white English mother. Neil’s father was a

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

with the United States Army stationed in Wellingborough during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where he met her mother, Florence, a local woman. Neil's father, who travelled back and forth between the US and England, left when she was six. In his absence Neil's mother raised their five children single-handed with the support of Neil's grandparents.

Career

Neil worked as a machinist in a clothing factory and trained in her spare time. From an impoverished family Neil was forced to rely on charity to travel to competitions and obtain equipment. Known primarily as a sprinter, Neil's first competition for Great Britain was 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 1966. She competed for Great Britain in the 1967 European Cup. At a national competition in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, she won the

100 yards The 100-yard dash is a track and field sprint event of . It was part of the Commonwealth Games until 1970, and was included in the triathlon of the Olympics in 1904. It is not generally used in international events, replaced by the 100-m ...

and broke the national record (10.6 seconds). At the same meet she was part of the 4 x 110m relay team who set a World Record. Neil was invited to Buckingham Palace which she remembered because she met

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

. Neil finished second behind Val Peat in the 100 metres event at the 1968 WAAA Championships. Shortly afterwards at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, she represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

in the 100 metres comeptition, where she was eliminated in the second quarter final and the

4 × 100 metres relay The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the indiv ...

, finishing seventh in the final. She was encouraged by her hero Mary Rand and she became a member of the women's athletics club London Olympiades and is considered 'a pioneer in the first generation of Black British female Olympic Athletes'.^:319 In 1969, she competed at the

European Athletics Championships The European Athletics Championships is a biennial (from 2010) athletics event organised by the European Athletic Association and is recognised as the elite continental outdoor athletics championships for Europe. Editions First held, for me ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, where she won bronze medals in the 100 metres as well as in 4 x 100-metres relay.^:205 Neil became the national 100 metres champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1970 WAAA Championships and the following month, Neil represented

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay. Neil represented

at the Olympic Games for a second time at the

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

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Again she progressed to the second round in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

and to the final in the

relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switc ...

Later life

Eventually the lack of a coach, insufficient training facilities, and having to support her family financially saw Neil forced into early retirement at just 23 years old. Neil continues to live in Wellingborough and has participated in local events. In 2012, she was a guest of honour at the opening of the Wellingborough Museum's exhibition on the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. A portrait of her hangs in the museum. She also served as guest of honour at the official opening of the Knights Court in Wellingborough in 2014. Neil was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2024 Birthday Honours The 2024 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Charles III, King Charles III to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens ...

for services to athletics.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Neil, Anita 1950 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics Black British sportswomen British female sprinters English female sprinters Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England European Athletics Championships medalists Olympic athletes for Great Britain Sportspeople from Wellingborough Olympic female sprinters Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Members of the Order of the British Empire English people of African-American descent 20th-century English sportswomen Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics