Lesley Martha Gibson (née Rowe, 21 March 1929 – 5 July 2011) was a New Zealand sprinter who, as Lesley Rowe, won a silver medal representing her country at the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games were the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. A documentary fil ...

Early life and family

Rowe was born in the

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

suburb of

Grey Lynn Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914. Grey Lynn is centred on Grey Lynn Park, which was not part of t ...

on 21 March 1929, the daughter of Lawrence John Rowe and Clarice Rowe (née Downs). She was educated at

Epsom Girls' Grammar School Epsom Girls Grammar School (often simplified to Epsom Girls, or EGGS) is a state secondary school for girls ranging from years 9 to 13 in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a roll of 2,200 as of 2025, making it one of the largest schools in New Zeala ...

from 1943 to 1946, and was a

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

in her final year.

Athletics

Rowe won the New Zealand national 220 yards sprint title four times: in 1948, 1951, 1952, and 1953. In 1949, she finished second, and was the leading New Zealander, behind

Shirley Strickland Shirley Barbara de la Hunty AO, MBE (née Strickland; 18 July 1925 – 11 February 2004), known as Shirley Strickland during her early career, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports. ...

from Australia. At the

in Auckland, Rowe won the silver medal in the women's 440 yards relay alongside Shirley Hardman and Dorothea Parker, with a time of 48.7 seconds, which broke the previous Empire Games record. She also competed in the 220 yards, finishing sixth in the final. In the 660 yards relay, Rowe was in the New Zealand team alongside Ruth Dowman, Dorothea Parker and Shirley Hardman, but the quartet was disqualified after crossing the finish line in second place, as the baton was dropped and incorrectly retrieved at the final exchange.

Later life and death

Rowe married Robert Alan Gibson, and the couple went on to have two children. She died on 5 July 2011, having been predeceased by her husband.

References

1929 births 2011 deaths Athletes from Auckland New Zealand female sprinters Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games 20th-century New Zealand sportswomen Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics {{NewZealand-athletics-bio-stub