Tessa Sanderson
Encyclopedia
Theresa Ione Sanderson CBE
(born 14 March 1956) is a former British
javelin
thrower and heptathlete
who competed in the javelin competition in every one of the six Olympics from 1976–1996 winning the Gold medal in 1984. She is the second Track & Field
athlete, after Lia Manoliu
(discus), to compete at six Olympics.
Sanderson was born in St Elizabeth
, Jamaica
of Ghanaian ancestry, she later emigrated to Wolverhampton
, England
. She was the UK's leading javelin
thrower from the mid-1970s, winning silver in the 1978 European championships and gold in the Commonwealth Games
three times (1978, 1986, 1990), but was eclipsed during the 1980s by the up-and-coming Fatima Whitbread
, with whom she shared a long standing rivalry.
When Sanderson won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics
in the javelin, becoming the first British black woman ever to win Olympic gold, her victory was quite unexpected. In the end, her career outlasted Whitbread's, and she competed at senior international level until 1996. She served as Vice-Chairman of Sport England
from 1999 to 2005.
In 1988, she made an appearance on Bullseye
. In 2005, she took part in the one-off special, Strictly African Dancing, as part of the Africa Lives season on the BBC
. She was voted into third place by the viewers.
She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
(MBE) in the 1985 New Year's Honours, following her Olympic gold, raised to Officer (OBE) in the 1998 New Year's Honours for her charity work, and to Commander (CBE
) in the 2004 New Year's Honours for her services to Sport England.
There is a housing estate named after her in her adopted home town of Wednesfield
, Sanderson Park. It is located on the playing fields of her former school, Wards Bridge High School.
She is currently helping to run an academy in Newham
, London
that finds and helps train athletes to represent Britain
in the 2012 Olympics.
In September 2009 Tessa registered her own Charity sports academy carrying on her work alongside the now established Newham Sports Acadermy which created four years ago.
The name of the Charity is The Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy the charity is helping Tessa to work on a wider bases to help other youngsters who are disabled and non disabled achieve their goals and creating a pathway and more opportunities not just in Newham but the wider areas of London and with a vision of a national roll out.
In April 2009 Tessa again because of her work in the community made history again by organising the first 10K road run to run through the Olympic Park offering the community and other visitors to Newham the Host Borough of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games a fantastic birds eye view of what will be the new Olympic 2012 athletics stadium. The Newham Classic 10K was so successful that this now takes place annually and has led to other active running events for anyone such as the City of London West Ham Park Runs which takes place most Sunday mornings in West Ham Park in the East End of London.
Tessa has now been appointed as a Board member of the newly formed Olympic Park Legacy Company chaired by Baroness Ford
to oversee and help with the formation of the Olympic Park for the Newham community and people living in the East End of London
On 1st May 2010, Tessa married to Densign White, former Olympic Judo player at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
Tessa now organised and was associated with the Redbridge 10k on 24th July 2011, which was the first ever run in the borough of Redbridge.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 14 March 1956) is a former British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
thrower and heptathlete
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
who competed in the javelin competition in every one of the six Olympics from 1976–1996 winning the Gold medal in 1984. She is the second Track & Field
Athletics at the Summer Olympics
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. The athletics program traces its earliest roots to events used in the ancient Greek Olympics. The modern program now comprises track and field events, road running...
athlete, after Lia Manoliu
Lia Manoliu
Lia Manoliu was a Romanian discus thrower who won three Olympic medals, including one gold. She was the first Track & Field athlete to compete at six Olympics....
(discus), to compete at six Olympics.
Sanderson was born in St Elizabeth
Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica
St. Elizabeth, one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the longest on the island.-History:...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
of Ghanaian ancestry, she later emigrated to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She was the UK's leading javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
thrower from the mid-1970s, winning silver in the 1978 European championships and gold in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
three times (1978, 1986, 1990), but was eclipsed during the 1980s by the up-and-coming Fatima Whitbread
Fatima Whitbread
Fatima Whitbread MBE is a British former javelin thrower and multiple medal-winner.-Early life:...
, with whom she shared a long standing rivalry.
When Sanderson won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in the javelin, becoming the first British black woman ever to win Olympic gold, her victory was quite unexpected. In the end, her career outlasted Whitbread's, and she competed at senior international level until 1996. She served as Vice-Chairman of Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
from 1999 to 2005.
In 1988, she made an appearance on Bullseye
Bullseye (UK game show)
Bullseye was a popular British television programme. It was first made for the ITV network by ATV in 1981 and Central from 1982 until 1995, and hosted by Jim Bowen. The show originally aired on Monday nights from 1981, it was then moved to Sunday nights from 1982 to 1993 where it was watched by...
. In 2005, she took part in the one-off special, Strictly African Dancing, as part of the Africa Lives season on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. She was voted into third place by the viewers.
She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE) in the 1985 New Year's Honours, following her Olympic gold, raised to Officer (OBE) in the 1998 New Year's Honours for her charity work, and to Commander (CBE
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
) in the 2004 New Year's Honours for her services to Sport England.
There is a housing estate named after her in her adopted home town of Wednesfield
Wednesfield
Wednesfield lies at , and is located to the northeast of Wolverhampton city centre on the northern fringe of the West Midlands conurbation...
, Sanderson Park. It is located on the playing fields of her former school, Wards Bridge High School.
She is currently helping to run an academy in Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
that finds and helps train athletes to represent Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the 2012 Olympics.
In September 2009 Tessa registered her own Charity sports academy carrying on her work alongside the now established Newham Sports Acadermy which created four years ago.
The name of the Charity is The Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy the charity is helping Tessa to work on a wider bases to help other youngsters who are disabled and non disabled achieve their goals and creating a pathway and more opportunities not just in Newham but the wider areas of London and with a vision of a national roll out.
In April 2009 Tessa again because of her work in the community made history again by organising the first 10K road run to run through the Olympic Park offering the community and other visitors to Newham the Host Borough of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games a fantastic birds eye view of what will be the new Olympic 2012 athletics stadium. The Newham Classic 10K was so successful that this now takes place annually and has led to other active running events for anyone such as the City of London West Ham Park Runs which takes place most Sunday mornings in West Ham Park in the East End of London.
Tessa has now been appointed as a Board member of the newly formed Olympic Park Legacy Company chaired by Baroness Ford
Margaret Ford, Baroness Ford
Margaret Anne Ford, Baroness Ford is a British peer and Chair of the London 2012 Olympic Park Legacy Company. She is a former Chief Executive of Good Practice Limited, Senior Non-Executive Director of Serco, Managing Director of Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets She is currently Chairman of...
to oversee and help with the formation of the Olympic Park for the Newham community and people living in the East End of London
On 1st May 2010, Tessa married to Densign White, former Olympic Judo player at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
Tessa now organised and was associated with the Redbridge 10k on 24th July 2011, which was the first ever run in the borough of Redbridge.
Achievements
| Representing and | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | British Commonwealth Games 1974 British Commonwealth Games The 1974 British Commonwealth Games were held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games.... |
Christchurch, New Zealand | 5th | 48.54 m |
| 1978 | Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games At the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Canada. A total of 38 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 15 by female athletes.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:-References:... |
Edmonton, Canada | 1st | 61.34 m |
| European Championships 1978 European Championships in Athletics The 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia.-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Field:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |... |
Prague Prague Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million... , Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... |
2nd | 62.40 m | |
| 1980 | Olympic Games | Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Soviet Union Soviet Union The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.... |
19th | 48.76 m |
| 1983 | World Championships 1983 World Championships in Athletics The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983.... |
Helsinki, Finland | 4th | 64.76 m |
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... |
1st | 69.56 m |
| 1986 | Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 1986 Commonwealth Games At the 1986 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. A total of 41 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 18 by female athletes.... |
Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 1st | 69.80 m |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 4th | 67.54 m |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 21st | 56.70 m |
| 1990 | Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games At the 1990 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand from 28 January to 3 February 1990. A total of 42 events were contested, 23 by male and 19 by female athletes.-Men:-Women:... |
Auckland, New Zealand | 1st | 65.72 m |
| European Championships 1990 European Championships in Athletics The 15th European Athletics Championships were held from 26 August to 2 September 1990 in Split, a city in Croatia .It was the last participation of East Germany .... |
Split Split (city) Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and... , Yugoslavia |
12th | 57.56 m | |
| 1992 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Women's javelin throw These are the official results of the women's javelin throw event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were a total of 25 participating athletes. The top 12 and ties, and all those reaching 62.50 metres advanced to the final... |
Barcelona, Spain | 4th | 63.58 m |
| 1996 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics - Women's javelin throw These are the official results of the Women's Javelin Throw at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:-Records:-Group A:-Group B:-Final:-See also:*1995 Women's World Championships Javelin Throw... |
Atlanta, United States Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |
14th | 58.86 m |