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100 Olympic Tidbits: Australia's Track Queen

Betty Cuthbert of Australia is a four-time Olympic gold medalist. A track athlete, she won gold medals in the women’s 100m, 4x100m relay, 200m and 400m. Cuthbert concentrated on sprints early in her career, and in the 1956 Melbourne Games, in front on her countrymen, she won three golds in 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. She set an Olympic record in the 100m, clocking 11.4 in her heat.

A repeat performance did not materialize in Rome four years later, after Cuthbert suffered an injury in the 100m heats and was eliminated. She briefly retired after the Olympics, but returned to action after two years. She made the Olympic team anew in 1964, and by this time she was now running in the 400m. After a slow start in the initial races, Cuthbert came through in the finals to bag her fourth Olympic gold.

In 2000 Cuthbert, although stricken by multiple sclerosis and wheelchair-bound, was one of the torch bearers for the Sydney Games, carrying the Olympic torch into the stadium with help from fellow Aussie Olympian Dawn Fraser.

Editor's Note: To celebrate the 100-day countdown to the London Games, we will be publishing 100 tidbits about the Olympics. Come back to Yahoo! PH Sports, as we publish a new tidbit every day.