Brit Lind-Petersen-McRoberts (born 10 February 1957), also known as Brit Townsend, is a Canadian former

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who competed in

middle-distance running Middle-distance running events are Track and field#Running, track races longer than Sprint (running), sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to . The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres m ...

events. Born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in Denmark, she later moved to Canada and represented her adoptive country internationally.Brit McRoberts
Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2016-02-20. She made her first appearances for Canada in 1979, placing seventh in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

, then sixth in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

at the

1979 IAAF World Cup The 2nd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on August 24–26, 1979, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Overall re ...

.Brit McRoberts
Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2016-02-20. Her first national title came in 1980, over 1500 m at the

Canadian Track and Field Championships The Canadian Track and Field Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organized by Athletics Canada, which serves as the Canadian national championships for the sport. The championships serve as part of the selection proces ...

, and she would go on to win three further titles (800 m in 1981 and 1983, then a second 1500 m title in 1986). She set Canadian National records at

800 meters The 800 metres, or 800 meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event sin ...

(2:00.02) and

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers ...

(4:03.36) in the 1983 season. She also came first in the women's mile run at the

USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships i ...

in 1984, and broke the National outdoor mile record with a (4:24.61) in Nice, France in 1986. She was a gold medal favourite for the 1500 meters at the Commonwealth Games in 1986 with the fastest time in the Commonwealth heading into the Games but caught a virus that was going around the athletes' village and had to withdraw from the competition. She won three major medals during her career, all over 1500 m: she was the gold medallist at the 1981 Pacific Conference Games, and claimed bronze at both the

1985 IAAF World Indoor Games The World Indoor Games were arranged by the IAAF and held at the Palais Omnisports Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from January 18 to January 19, 1985. In 1987 the championship was renamed to the IAAF World Indoor Championships and gained official st ...

and the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

. She was also an 800 m gold medallist at the Francophonie Games. McRoberts was a finalist at multiple global events, including the

1983 World Championships in Athletics The 1st World Championships in Athletics (; ) were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium (Helsinki), Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between 7 and 14 August 1983 ...

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

, and the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

and

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games () were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Participants competed in ten sports: at ...

. She represented the Americas in two middle-distance events at the

1981 IAAF World Cup The 3rd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 4–6, 1981, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. Overall results ...

and ran for Canada at the

1987 World Championships in Athletics The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987. Men's results Track 1983 , 1987 , ...

(failing to make the final). McRoberts graduated from

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

with a degree in Kinesiology and Communications and later returned there becoming the head coach of the track and field programme under her married name, Brit Townsend.SFU Brit Townsend
/ref>

International competitions

National titles

Canadian Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-20. **800 m: 1981, 1983 **1500 m: 1980, 1986 *

**Mile: 1984USA Indoor Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-20.

References

External links

* * * * * * __NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:McRoberts, Brit Living people 1957 births Athletes from Copenhagen Canadian female middle-distance runners Olympic track and field athletes for Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Pan American Games bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Canada Danish emigrants to Canada World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Simon Fraser Red Leafs women's track and field athletes Canadian Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century Canadian sportswomen