Women's Athletics

Phyllis Green Clears 1.524m – World Record

Stamford Bridge, London, 11th July 1925

At the British Championships, 17-year-old Phyllis Green achieved one of the few women's athletics world records in 1925, an "off-year" with no Women's Olympiads or Women's World Games. The previous official record, held by Britain's Sophie Elliott-Lynn, was bettered by nearly four centimetres.

In the English-speaking world, Green's result was greeted with particular joy because it crossed the Anglo-Saxon "phantom barrier." 1.524 metres is exactly five feet.

Green's career lasted only a couple of years. She retired from athletics at the age of 19 – presumably to focus on managing her family's undertaking business.

Results

Medallists (NUTS)

Online Stories

Phyllis Green (WA, 11.7.2025)
Phyllis Green (Epsom & Ewell Historical Explorer)

Phyllis Green. Photo: New York Times/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain.

Sprint Relay Under 50 Seconds

Exhibition Ground, Toronto, ON, 19th September 1925

The 50-second barrier in the sprint relay shattered for the first time. Toronto Ladies AC, on their home ground, clocked 50.2 in the 4x110 yards, which translates to 49.9 for 4x100 metres. The baton was carried by Myrtle Cook, Josephine Dyment, Rosa Grosse, and Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld. Cook and Rosenfeld were also part of the "Maple Leaf" relay team that won Olympic gold at the Amsterdam Olympics three years later.

In the same Canadian National Exhibition Games, Rosenfeld also ran the 100 yards in a time of 11.0, which was faster than the world record (equivalent to 12.0 for the metric distance), but excessive tailwind prevented the result from being officially recorded.

Newspaper Stories

Montreal Gazette 21.9.1925

Maria Vidlaková Throws World Record

SK Slavia Stadium, Prague, 11th October 1925

Mária Vidláková threw the one-kilogram Greek discus to a world record of 31.15 (102-2). The previous record was held by France's Lucienne Velu, who in 1924 had also become the first thrower to officially exceed 30 metres with a mark of 30.225 (99-2).

Future Olympic champion Halina Konopacka had thrown 33.405 (109-7) about four months before Vidláková in an exhibition competition, so it was not accepted as an official world record.

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