Mary Lines (later ''Smith'', 3 December 1893 – December 1978) was a British athlete. She competed in the long jump and 60 m – 800 m running events at the

1921 Women's Olympiad The 1921 Women's Olympiad and was the first international women's sports event, a 5-day multi-sport event organised by Alice Milliat and held on 24–31 March 1921 in Monte Carlo at the International Sporting Club of Monaco. The tourname ...

1922 Women's Olympiad The 1922 Women's Olympiad ( and ) was the second1922 Women's World Games The 1922 Women's World Games (French Jeux Olympiques Féminins, also "Women's Olympic Games") were the first regular international Women's World Games and the first Track and field competitions for women. The tournament was held on a single ...

and won nine gold, two silver and one bronze medals. In 1924 she participated at the

1924 Women's Olympiad The 1924 Women's Olympiad (formally called ''Women's International and British Games'', French ''Grand meeting international féminin'') was the first international competition for women in track and field in the United Kingdom. The tournamen ...

and won the gold medal in the 100 yards running and the long jump. In

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

she participated at the

Women's Olympiad The Women's World Games were the first international women's sports events in track and field. The games were held four times between 1922 and 1934. They were established by Alice Milliat and the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale ( ...

in Paris and won the gold medal in the 4×110 yds relay (with Lines as first runner,

Nora Callebout Nora Eveline Callebout (1895 – 1995) was a British track athlete who won ten medals across two Women's World Games, a precursor to women's sports entering the Olympics and was part of the record-setting 4x110 yds relay team in 1922. Life Cal ...

Daisy Leach Daisy, Daisies or DAISY may refer to: Plants * ''Bellis perennis'', the common daisy, lawn daisy or English daisy, a European species Other plants known as daisy * Asteraceae, daisy family ** ''Euryops chrysanthemoides'', African bush daisy ** '' ...

and

Gwendoline Porter Gwendoline Alice Porter (25 April 190229 August 1993) was a British track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres. Biography She was born in Ilford, London. She worked in the head office of an insurance company. In 1922 she ...

) setting a new

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

. In 1922, Lines became the national 100 yards champion, national 220 yards champion and national 880 yards champion. The following year she won the British titles in 100 yards, 440 yards, 120 yards hurdles and the long jump at the inaugural

1923 WAAA Championships The 1923 WAAA Championships were the first national track and field championships for women in the United Kingdom. The tournament was held on 18 August 1923, at the Oxo Sport Grounds in Downham, Lewisham in South London. Background After t ...

. Lines studied at the

Regent Street Polytechnic The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

and worked as a waitress. She retired from competitions in 1924 but not before she won two more AAA titles in the 120 yards hurdles and long jump at the

1924 WAAA Championships The 1924 WAAA Championships were the second national track and field championships for women in the United Kingdom. The event was held at the Woolwich Stadium on Woolwich Common, London, on 28 June 1924. The athletes competed in 12 events; up ...

. Lines married Mr. Smith, who died in 1946. In 1971 she moved from London to Worthing, together with her two unmarried sisters. She died in 1978 in a traffic accident, aged 85. She was rushing to post her Christmas mail and ran in front of a van. Mel Watman, 'Women athletes between the world wars (act. 1919–1939)’,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

, Oxford University Press, May 2012; online edn, Jan 201
accessed 9 Dec 2015
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lines, Mary 1893 births 1978 deaths British female sprinters English female sprinters British female long jumpers English female long jumpers Athletes from London Women's World Games medalists Alumni of the Regent Street Polytechnic 20th-century English sportswomen Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in England