Debbie Flintoff-King

Debra ("Debbie") Lee Flintoff-King , born 20 April 1960 in Melbourne, Victoria, is a retired Australian athlete, and winner of the women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Athletics career

She made her international debut in Brisbane at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, winning the 400m hurdles in a Commonwealth record time of 55.89.

Flintoff finished sixth in the inaugural event at the 1984 Summer Olympics hosted by Los Angeles. In 1986, after setting Australian records at both the 400m flat and 400m hurdles during the year, she won both events at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

In 1987, she won a silver medal at the 1987 World Championships and became the first Australian athlete to win an IAAF Grand Prix Final, taking out her specialty 400m Hurdles event.

In 1988, she won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, despite having just received news of her sister, Noeline's death. Her winning time of 53.17 seconds still stands as the Australian record in 2008.

Flintoff-King was one of the bearers of the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She carried the Olympic Torch at the stadium, as one of the runners for the final segment, before the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

Married to her coach Phil King with three children, Flintoff-King coached Australian sprinter Lauren Hewitt in the early 1990s and has mentored World Champion Jana Rawlinson.

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