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Myrtle Cook
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Myrtle Alice Cook (also competed as Myrtle McGowan) (January 5, 1902 – March 18, 1985) was a Canadian athlete and journalist, who won the gold medal in the women's 4 × 100 metres at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Her column, "In the Women's Spotlight", appeared in the Montreal Star for 40 years.
Key Information
Biography
[edit]_winning_a_preliminary_heat_in_the_womens_100_metres_race_at_the_VIIIth_Summer_Olympic_Games.jpg)
Born in Toronto, she competed for Canada at the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, Netherlands where she won the gold medal in the women's 4 × 100 metres with her teammates Fanny Rosenfeld (also 100 m silver medallist), Ethel Smith (100 m bronze medallist) and Jane Bell.[1]
In 1929, Cook began a career writing for the Montreal Star, where she contributed the column "In the Women's Spotlight" for the next 40 years.[1]
Cook was involved in ice hockey and served as president of the Dominion Women's Amateur Hockey Association prior to 1937.[2]
Cook equalled Betty Robinson's Women's 100 m World Record on August 1, 1931.[citation needed]
Cook contributed significantly to women's sports in Canada, helping to establish the Toronto Ladies Athletic Club, serving as director of athletics for the Canadian Ladies Athletic Club, and founding a branch of that club in Montreal.[1] During the Second World War, she was active in fundraising and assisted in training military recruits.[1]
She died in Elora, Ontario on March 18, 1985.[1][3]
Legacy
[edit]Firsts for women
[edit]- Member of Canada's 4×100 metre relay team that won the gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics (Amsterdam), the first Olympic Games to include women's track and field events.[4]
- Among the first Canadian women to compete in Olympic athletics following the International Olympic Committee's decision to admit women's track events in 1928.[5]
Medals and competitive achievements
[edit]- Gold medal – 4×100 metre relay, 1928 Summer Olympics (Amsterdam), representing Canada.[4]
- Fourth place – 100 metres final, 1928 Summer Olympics (Amsterdam).[6]
- Canadian national champion – 100 yards (1928).[7]
- Canadian national champion – 220 yards (1928).[7]
Awards and honours
[edit]- Named Canada's female athlete of the year by the Canadian Press (1932).[8]
- Inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1955).[9]
- Inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1971).[10]
Influence on women's sport and journalism
[edit]- Began serving as a sports columnist with the Montreal Star in 1929, becoming one of Canada's first nationally prominent female sports journalists.[4]
- Organized the Montréal Major Ladies' Softball League and the Montréal Major Ladies' Hockey League, and formed a Montréal branch of the Canadian Ladies' Athletic Club, serving as its athletic director.[4]
- Served as president of the Dominion Women's Amateur Hockey Association, and resigned from the position in September 1937 after four years on the association's executive.[11]
- During World War II, served as track coach for the Canadian Armed Services in the Montréal area.[4]
Cultural legacy
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Myrtle Cook". Collaboratory for Writing and Research on Culture. Retrieved March 28, 2023. (subscription required)
- ^ "'Pegger May Head Ladies' Hockey Body". Winnipeg Free Press. January 4, 1940. p. 13.
- ^ "Myrtle McGowan top Olympic athlete". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. March 19, 1985. p. 63.
- ^ a b c d e "Myrtle Cook". Olympedia. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ "The Matchless Six: Canada's first Olympic women's team". Olympics.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ "Myrtle Cook Results". Team Canada. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Cook, Myrtle". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ "Early CP athlete of the year winners". CBC Sports. December 30, 1932. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ "Myrtle Cook". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ "Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Inductees". Team Canada. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ "D.W.A.H.A. Prexy Tend# Resignation" (PDF). The Daily Herald (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan). September 23, 1937. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ "The Matchless Six". CBC Archives. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Olympics.com – Myrtle Cook athlete profile
- Atlas Obscura – The Long, Strange Tale of the Wandering Womb – Discusses historical arguments used to exclude women from Olympic competition
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