Dorothy Hyman
A Yorkshire miner's daughter who sprinted to Olympic glory, becoming Britain's fastest woman of her era and a national sporting hero.
Born 1941 (age 85)·English sprinter·Birthday: May 9·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dorothy Hyman's story is pure postwar British athletics: raw talent forged in the gritty landscape of a South Yorkshire mining community. With a powerful, driving style, she exploded onto the track as a teenager, her speed offering a path far from the colliery. At just 19, she announced herself to the world at the 1960 Rome Olympics, winning a surprise silver medal in the 100 meters and a bronze in the relay. Four years later in Tokyo, she added another relay bronze, but her true dominion was in the years between. In 1962, she achieved a spectacular 'double-double', winning both the 100 and 200 meters at the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. As a proud representative of England and Great Britain, Hyman's combination of working-class grit and champion's poise made her one of the most admired and successful British sprinters of the twentieth century.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dorothy was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dorothy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Dorothy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 80
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 85 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the silver medal in the 100 meters at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
- Completed a sprint double, winning gold in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade.
- Secured the 100 yards/220 yards sprint double for England at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth.
- Won Olympic bronze medals in the 4x100m relay in both 1960 and 1964.
Did You Know?
She worked as a clerk for the National Coal Board in her early career.
Hyman was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in 1963 for her services to sport.
She published an autobiography titled 'Sprint to Fame' in 1964.
After retiring, she became a sports administrator and served as the president of the Yorkshire Ladies Athletic Association.
“I ran for my club, my village, and for every girl who wanted to.”
