Wendy Hoyte

Background

Hoyte was born in London, England.

Education

In 1976, she competed in the sprint relay at the Montreal Olympics, running the first leg for the British quartet that finished eighth in the final. In 1979, she finished fourth in the 60 m final at the European Indoor Championships in Vienna.

Career

She also competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. She is the holder of the United Kingdom indoor 50 m record, which she set in 1981. As of 2015, the record still stands.

She was selected for the relay squad for the 1980 Moscow Olympics but did not get to compete.

In 1981, she broke the United Kingdom indoor record for the 50 m with 6.21 secs in the heats of the European Indoor Championships, before placing sixth in the final (usually a 60 m race, the event was held over 50 m in 1981). The record (as of 2014) has stood for over thirty three years.

Hoyte"s best year was in 1982. Hoyte missed trying for the 1984 Olympics due to pregnancy.

In 1986, she competed at the European Championships in Stuttgart, finishing fifth in the 4 × 100 m relay final.

In 1987, Hoyte competed at three major Championships, she finished fifth in the 60 m final at the European Indoor Championships in Lievin and reached the semi-finals of the 60 m at the World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis. Outdoors, she ran in the sprint relay at the World Championships in Rome. She competed at the 1988 United Kingdom Olympic trials in Birmingham, but failed to earn Olympic selection.

50 metres 6.21 Grenoble 22 February 1981 (United Kingdom Record)

60 metres 7.20 Lievin 22 February 1987 (6th on United Kingdom all-time list)

100 metres 11.31 Brisbane 4 October 1982 (18th on United Kingdom all-time list)

200 metres 23.48 London (Crystal Palace) 7 June 1975.

Achievements

• As Wendy Clarke, she first came to prominence at the age of 17 in 1975, when she won two medals at the European Junior Championships in Athens. She won bronze in the 100 m in a wind assisted 11.53 secs, behind the East German pair of Petra Koppetsch and Marlies Oelsner (the future Marlies Gohr), then won silver behind Koppetsch in the 200 m in 23.85. In the late 70s and early 80s she won six AAAs national titles. She was the AAAs 100 m champion in 1981 and 1982 and the AAAs indoor 60 m champion in 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1982. Indoors, she won a bronze medal in the 60 m at the European Indoor Championships in Milan. At the European Championships in Athens she reached the 100 m final, placing eighth, then won a silver medal as part of the British 4 × 100 m relay quartet, along with Kathy Smallwood, Bev Callender and Shirley Thomas. At the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, representing England, she finished fifth in the 100 m final and won a gold medal in the relay, along with Smallwood, Callender and Sonia Lannaman.

Membership

She was a member of Highgate Harriers and later the Borough of Hounslow Athletic Club.