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Harriet Bland

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Harriet Bland
Bland at the 1936 Olympics
Personal information
BornFebruary 13, 1915
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedNovember 6, 1991 (aged 76)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Alma materWashington University in St. Louis
Height163 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Weight50 kg (110 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventSprint
ClubSt. Louis Athletic Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best100 m – 12.2 (1932)[1][2]
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1936 Berlin 4×100 m relay

Harriet Claiborne Bland (February 13, 1915 – November 6, 1991), later Harriet Bland Green, was an American sprinter from St. Louis, Missouri.

Early life

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Bland was born in St. Louis, the daughter of Isabelle Heard Bland. She attended Mary Institute, a private day school.[3]

Sports career

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Bland nearly qualified for the 1932 Summer Olympics team in 1932,[3] and protested the decision to exclude her. She qualified for the 1936 team, but was told that there was no money to send her to Berlin.[4] After a fundraising campaign by the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, to cover her travel expenses,[5][6] and losing her track shoes and handbag in New York before sailing for Berlin,[7] she competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics, under track coach Dee Boeckmann, in the individual 100m and 4 × 100 m relay. She won a gold medal in the relay, with Betty Robinson, Annette Rogers, and Helen Stephens.[1]

Bland was honored upon her return, alongside other American Olympians, at a parade in New York City.[8] She served on the Ozark A. A. U. Women's Track and Field Committee, and coached a track program for girls in St. Louis, after her Olympic win.[4][9] She was head finish judge at an invitational relay for women in Edwardsville, Illinois in 1965.[10] she later earned a bachelor's degree in interior design at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.[11]

Later life

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Harriet Bland married professional golfer William W. Green in 1939.[12] They had a son, William C. Green, who subsequently had five sons, including Marshall Heard Bland Green of Wellsville, New York. She survived a stroke in 1974 and used a wheelchair after that. She was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.[4] She died from a heart attack at her son's home in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1991, aged 76 years.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Harriet Bland Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  2. ^ Harriet Bland. trackfield.brinkster.net
  3. ^ a b Scott, John G. (March 23, 1932). "17-Year-Old Girl Suddenly Looms as St. Louis Olympic Hope at Sprint Distances". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 16. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c Becht, June Wuest (May 10, 1983). "'Golden Girls' of 1936 Made Olympic History". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 33. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Paper to Sponsor Campaign to Send Girl to Olympics". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 9, 1936. p. 7. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Only $40.50 Needed to Attain $500 Goal for Trip to Europe". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 10, 1936. p. 9. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Harriet Bland Loses Handbag at Sailing Time". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 15, 1936. p. 17. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Harriet Bland to be Honored in New York". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. September 3, 1936. p. 9. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Harriet Bland Again to Coach Track Team". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. November 11, 1938. p. 17. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "2 Former Olympians to Officiate Relays". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. June 23, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Harriet Green; Won Olympic Gold in '36". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 10, 1991. p. 67. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Harriet Bland Weds William W. Green". The St. Louis Star and Times. May 9, 1939. p. 18. Retrieved August 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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