Carol Tyson (15 December 1957 – 12 June 2005) was a British

racewalking Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asses ...

athlete. She was a three-time competitor at the

IAAF World Race Walking Cup The World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships is a racewalking event organised by World Athletics. It has been held since 1961, and generally on a biennial basis. The first women's edition of the event happened in 1979. It was formerly know ...

and was twice a silver medallist.

Biography

Born to Jack and Peggy Tyson, both medical doctors, she attended

Keswick School Keswick School is a coeducational 11–18 academy in Cumbria, United Kingdom rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted in 2024 with 1200 pupils on roll. There are 260 students in the sixth form and 40 boarders. The school is the successor of th ...

as a

boarder Boarder may refer to: Persons A boarder may be a person who: *snowboards *skateboards *bodyboards * surfs *stays at a boarding house *attends a boarding school *takes part in a boarding attack Other uses * ''The Star Boarder'', a 1914 American ...

and took up racewalking while there.Death of former Keswick School race walking champion
''Cumberland and Westmorland Herald'' (2005-06-18). Retrieved on 2016-04-16. Women's walking was in its early stages of development and, along with Marion Fawkes, Tyson was a leading athlete for Great Britain. Tyson claimed national titles at the 5 km and 5000 m distances in her early twenties, including two titles at the

UK Athletics Championships The UK Athletics Championships was an annual national championship in track and field for the United Kingdom, organised by the British Athletics Federation. The event incorporated the 1980 Olympic trials for the British Olympic team. The venue ...

. She was also twice British 5000 metres walk champion, winning at the

1978 WAAA Championships The 1978 WAAA Championships sponsored by Sunsilk were the national track and field championships for women in the United Kingdom. The event was held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, from 18 to 19 August 1978. The 10,000 w ...

and

1981 WAAA Championships The 1981 WAAA Championships sponsored by Sunsilk, were the national track and field championships for women in the United Kingdom. The event was held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, from 24 to 25 July 1981. The Pentathlo ...

and twice British 10,000 metres walk champion, winning at the 1978 WAAA Championships and

1980 WAAA Championships The 1980 WAAA Championships sponsored by Sunsilk, were the national track and field championships for women in the United Kingdom. The event was held at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, from 15 to 16 August 1980. The 5,000 m ...

. She began to study medicine at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

but continued to compete in the sport. She entered an invitational 5 km women's race at the

1977 IAAF World Race Walking Cup The 1977 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, on 24–25 September 1977. For the first time, a new competition name ''IAAF Race Walking World Cup'' was introduced replacing the former Lugano Trophy. As in 1975, the ...

. Contested mainly between British and Swedish athletes, Tyson placed second behind Siv Gustavsson. The event was upgraded to an official one for the

1979 IAAF World Race Walking Cup The 1979 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held in Eschborn, Federal Republic of Germany, on September 29–30, 1979. The event was also known as ''IAAF Race Walking World Cup''. The women's 5 km race was now officially introduced into the com ...

and Tyson formed a British 1–2 with Marion Fawkes, helping the British women to the Eschborn Cup team title. Her third and final outing at the

1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup The 1981 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held on 3 and 4 October 1981 in the streets of Valencia, Spain. The event was also known as ''IAAF Race Walking World Cup''. Complete results were published. Medallists Results Men's 20 km Men's 50 ...

brought more modest results, with Tyson in 19th place. She also won the top level

Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni Coppa or COPPA may refer to: * ''Coppa'' or ''capocollo'', a type of Italian pork cold cut * Montonico bianco, a white Italian wine grape variety grown in the Calabria region of southern Italy * Coppa (surname) * Coppa Italia, a domestic Italian le ...

race in 1981. After retiring from racewalking due to an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

injury, she worked as a paediatrician in New Zealand, London, Great Yarmouth and finally at

Perth Royal Infirmary Perth Royal Infirmary is a district hospital in Perth. The Royal Infirmary serves a population of around 182,000 across the City of Perth and the wider Perth and Kinross area. It is managed by NHS Tayside. History Perth Royal infirmary has it ...

. She died suddenly at the age of 47 after having breathing difficulties. She left a daughter, Tara Flores.

International competitions

National titles

**5000 m walk: 1980, 1981UK Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-16. *WAAA Women's Road Walk Championships **5 km walk: 1977, 1978, 1980
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-16. *Women's

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

**5000 m walk: 1978, 1981WAAA Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-16. **10,000 m walk: 1978, 1980

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Carol 1957 births 2005 deaths People from Keswick, Cumbria British female race walkers English female race walkers Alumni of King's College London Sportspeople from Cumbria 20th-century English sportswomen