Sylvia Cheeseman

Sylvia Cheeseman (born 19 May 1929) is an English retired sprinter who won a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics.^[2]

Sylvia Cheeseman

Cheeseman hammering her starting blocks into place at the 1950 British Empire Games
Personal information
Nationality	British (English)
Born	(1929-05-19) 19 May 1929 (age 96) Richmond, London, England
Height	171 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Sprint
Club	Spartan Ladies
Coached by	Sandy Duncan[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m – 12.0 (1954) 200 m – 24.4 (1949)[2]
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki 4×100 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games 1950 Auckland 660 yards relay 1950 Auckland 440 yards relay

Biography

Cheeseman's mother was a concert pianist, her father was a double bass player and a founding member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and her sister was an international model. She lived on Derwent Road, in Whitton, London.^[3] She attended Spring Grove Grammar School.^[4]

Cheeseman became the national 200 metres champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1946 WAAA Championships.^[5] She would go on to win the same title another five times from 1947 to 1952.^[6][7]

At the 1948 Olympic Games in London, represeting Great Britain, she was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 200 metres competition.^[8]

Competing in relays, she won two medals for England at the 1950 British Empire Games.^[9]

In the 1952 Olympics she won her heat but was eliminated in the semi-final.^[2]

In 1957 she married the Olympic runner John Disley; they had two daughters. After retiring from competitions, she worked as a freelance journalist in China and all around Europe.^[1]