Donna Hartley

Donna Marie Louise Hartley ( Murray, later Wass; 1 May 1955 – 7 June 2013) was a British athlete. She specialised in the 200, 400 and 4x400 relay. In the 4x400 relay she won an Olympic Bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. She also won 2 Commonwealth Gold medals in the 400 and 4x400 relay at Edmonton, Canada Commonwealth Games 1978.

Biography

Murray, born in Southampton, was a south of England sprint champion and then became the British 200 metres champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1972 WAAA Championships.

Donna won the South of England 100m and 200m championships in 1974.

A year later, Murray became the British 400 metres champion at the 1975 WAAA Championships.

Shortly before the 1977 WAAA Championships Murray married fellow athlete Bill Hartley and competed under her married name thereafter. As Donna Hartley, she then won the 1977 UK Championships 400m. At the newly formed 1977 UK Athletics Championships

Donna was AAA’s 200 m and 400 m champion in 1972, and 400 in 1975.
And came 2nd in the 200 in 1977/78. And 400 in 1974.

Also in 1978, Donna won two Commonwealth gold medals in Edmonton, Canada, where she won the 400 metres, and the 4x400 relay.

In 1979, she was European cup semi finalist winner in both 400, and 400 relay again.

She also was runner up in European cup finals in 1975, and 1977 in 400, and 400 relay again.

Sponsored by the Midland Bank, Worked in Liverpool.

In 1980, she competed at the Moscow Olympic Games where she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 relay.

*Donnas Personal bests*

100m 11.46

200m 22.75

400m 51.28

After retiring from athletics Hartley married Robert Wass, better known as comedian and actor Bobby Knutt. As Donna Hartley-Wass, she competed for several years on the UK women's body building circuit, winning the National Amateur Body Building Association's Miss Britain Physique trophy in 1988, having placed third the previous year. Her bodybuilding career was short-lived and for several years after that she ran a line dancing school in Sheffield near the family home. Hartley-Wass featured on the front cover of ''Health & Strength'' magazine.Magazine Cover
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Hartley trained at a Sheffield health studio jointly owned by Bobby Knutt. Under the guidance of the health studio owner and ex-Sheffield Wednesday coach Tony Toms, Hartley achieved national success very quickly on the women's bodybuilding circuit.

She died while sunbathing in her back garden on 7 June 2013, being discovered by her husband of 26 years.

Medals

*Gold medalist (400 m relay) 1978 Commonwealth Games.
*Bronze medalist (400 m relay). 1980 Olympic Games.

References

External links

British Olympic Association profile

Donna Hartley's obituary

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Donna
1955 births
2013 deaths
English female bodybuilders
English female sprinters
British female sprinters
Olympic athletes for Great Britain
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Athletes from Southampton
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
Olympic female sprinters
Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
20th-century English sportswomen
Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics