From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glynis Nunn OAM (born 4 December 1960)
is a former Australian
heptathlete, the first
Olympic champion
in the event. Born Glynis Leanne Saunders in Toowoomba, Queensland, she began
competing in athletics at age 9, when she was a student
at Toowoomba South State
School.
She starred in several events, and was thus a natural competitor
in the pentathlon (which was replaced by
the heptathlon in 1981). In 1978, she qualified for the Commonwealth
Games, but couldn't compete because of an injury.
By the time of the next Commonwealth Games (1982), she had
married Chris Nunn (a decathlete). In the first heptathlon
competition at the Games, she upset the English favourite and took
the title. At the inaugural World
Championships a year later, she was placed 7th.
Because of the East Bloc boycott of the 1984
Summer Olympics, Nunn was one of the medal candidates for the
Olympic title, too. The competition was incredibly close, with five
athletes fighting for the medals. After the competition, there was
confusion about who had won, but when the smoke cleared, Nunn had
scored 6390 points, five more than runner-up Jackie
Joyner-Kersee. In addition to her gold medal, Nunn was also
placed fifth in the 100 m hurdles event, and seventh in the long jump.
After the Olympics, Nunn abandoned the heptathlon, and switched
to hurdling. She was hampered by many injuries, but managed to win
a bronze medal in the high hurdles event at the 1986 Commonwealth
Games. She quit sports in 1990.
References