WAAA Championships

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WAAA Championships
Athletics pictogram.svg
Sport Track and field
Founded1923
Ceased2006
CountryEngland/United Kingdom

The WAAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Women's Amateur Athletic Association (WAAA) in England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event for women during its lifetime. [1]

Contents

Since 1880, the Amateur Athletic Association of England had held the AAA Championships, but it admitted men only and did not wish to include women. [2] Women's clubs and competitions were typically separate from the men's and in line with growing interest in the sport the WAAA was founded in 1922. [3] Several contests in the country were approved by the WAAA with "Championships of England" status that year, and this was subsequently replaced with an organised WAAA Championships in 1923. [4] Aside from the 1927 championships in Reading, Berkshire, the WAAA track and field event was based at various locations in London up to 1939. [5] The competition was interrupted by World War II but was re-instigated in 1945 and remained in London until a move to Birmingham in 1985. [6] [4]

As women's athletics developed in the 20th century, major international men's and women's events typically were held in conjunction, with women first appearing on the Olympic athletics programme in 1928 and the European Athletics Championships being fully combined by its third edition in 1946. [7] [8] The AAA and WAAA events remained divided for much longer and it was not until 1988 that the women's events were merged into an all-gender AAA Championships in 1988, though the WAAA remained the organiser of the women's events. [4] This change came during a period of reform that would see the sport fully professionalise and, in the UK, organisation move to national level.

The establishment of UK Athletics in 1999 to serve as the national governing body for professional, elite athletics ultimately started the decline of the AAA Championships. UK Athletics took over the role of both national championships and international team selection with its own British Athletics Championships from 2007 onwards. [9]

The long-distance track events, marathon, racewalking events and combined track and field events were regularly held outside of the main track and field championship competition. [4]

Events

The following athletics events featured as standard on the main WAAA Championships programme:

The following events were regularly held, but often outside of the main programme:

Races were contested, and field events measured, in yards and feet up until 1968. The 2000 metres steeplechase was held in 2002 and 2003 before moving to the standard 3000 m distance. The 80 metres hurdles was contested until 1968 before being replaced by the new international standard 100 metres hurdles. The 200 metres hurdles was on the programme from 1961 to 1972, before being dropped in favour of the 400 metres hurdles. A 60 metres event was available from 1935 to 1950. A women's mile run was first contested in 1936, indicating a growing acceptance to women taking part in distance events. The 3000 metres was introduced in 1968 and lasted until 1999. The standard 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events came after, being first held in 1980 as non-championship events before achieving full status. [4]

The field events expanded roughly in line with international changes. The triple jump first appeared in 1989, followed by championship events in pole vault and hammer throw in 1993, bringing women to parity with men in field events. A women's pentathlon (first held in 1949) was replaced with a heptathlon in 1981. [4]

Racewalking events underwent progressive change in distance, from 880 yards (1923–1927), to one mile (1928–1932), rounded down to 1600 m in 1933 to 1939, back to one mile (1945–1958), up to 1.5 miles (1960–68), then 2500 m (1969–1972), 3000 m in 1973 and 1974, before finally reaching the 5000 m distance in 1975. A 10,000 m walk was introduced in 1978. [4] A variety of relay races were contested by clubs prior to 1960. [6]

Editions

#YearDateVenueStadiumNotes/ref
1922 n/aVariousVariousChampionships status provided to several events
1 1923 18 AugustLondon Bromley, Oxo Sports Ground [10]
2 1924 28 JuneLondon Woolwich Stadium, Woolwich Common Discus added [11]
3 1925 11 JulyLondon Stamford Bridge
4 1926 19 JuneLondonStamford Bridge
5 1927 9 July Reading Palmer Park
6 1928 14 JulyLondonStamford BridgeSingle handed javelin introduced
7 1929 13 JulyLondonStamford Bridge
8 1930 16 AugustLondonStamford Bridgesingle hand shot introduced
9 1931 11 JulyLondonStamford Bridge
10 1932 9 JulyLondonStamford Bridge
11 1933 15 JulyLondon White City Stadium
12 1934 30 JuneLondon Herne Hill Athletics Ground
13 1935 10 AugustLondonWhite City Stadium60 metres sprint introduced
14 1936 18 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium1 mile introduced
15 1937 7 AugustLondonWhite City Stadium
16 1938 2 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
17 1939 22 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
Not held 1940 to 1944 due to World War II
18 1945 18 AugustLondon Tooting Bec Athletics Track
19 1946 13 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
20 1947 2 AugustLondon Polytechnic Stadium
21 1948 26 JuneLondonPolytechnic Stadium
22 1949 9 JulyLondonWhite City StadiumPentathlon introduced
23 1950 8 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
24 1951 7 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium60 metres discontinued
25 1952 14 JuneLondonWhite City Stadium
26 1953 4 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
27 1954 19 JuneLondonWhite City Stadium
28 1955 2 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
29 1956 11 AugustLondonWhite City Stadium
30 1957 5–6 JulyLondonWhite City StadiumHeld over 2 days for the first time
31 1958 7 JuneLondon Motspur Park
32 1959 4 JulyLondonMotspur Park
33 1960 1–2 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
34 1961 8 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium200 metres hurdles introduced
35 1962 7 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
36 1963 6 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium100 metres hurdles introduced over a height of 2'6"
37 1964 4 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
38 1965 3 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
39 1966 1–2 JulyLondonWhite City Stadium
40 1967 30 June–1 JulyLondonWhite City StadiumLast event at White City, [12] 100m hurdle height increased to 2'9"
41 1968 19–20 JulyLondon Crystal Palace National Sports Centre Imperial distances replaced with metric distances, 3,000m introduced
42 1969 18–19 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre80 metres hurdles discontinued
43 1970 19–20 JuneLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
44 1971 16–17 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
45 1972 7–8 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
46 1973 20–21 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre200 metres hurdles increased to 400 metres hurdles, 2,500 metres walk increased to 3,000 metres
47 1974 19–20 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
48 1975 18–19 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre3,000m walk increased to 5,000m
49 1976 20–21 AugustLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
50 1977 19–20 AugustLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
51 1978 18–19 AugustLondonCrystal Palace National Sports CentreMarathon and 10,000 metres walk introduced
52 1979 27–28 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
53 1980 15–16 AugustLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre5,000 metres and 10,000 metres introduced
54 1981 24–25 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
55 1982 30–31 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
56 1983 29–30 JulyLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
57 1984 15–16 JuneLondonCrystal Palace National Sports Centre
58 1985 26–27 July Birmingham Alexander Stadium
59 1986 6–7 JuneBirminghamAlexander Stadium
60 1987 24–25 JulyBirminghamAlexander Stadium
1988 5–7 AugustBirminghamAlexander StadiumOlympic trials
1989 11–13 AugustBirminghamAlexander StadiumTriple jump introduced
1990 3–4 AugustBirminghamAlexander Stadium
1991 26–27 JulyBirminghamAlexander StadiumHammer throw introduced
1992 27–28 JulyBirminghamAlexander StadiumOlympic trials
1993 16–17 JulyBirminghamAlexander StadiumPole vault introduced
1994 11–12 July Sheffield Don Valley Stadium
1995 15–16 JulyBirminghamAlexander Stadium
1996 14–16 JulyBirminghamAlexander StadiumOlympic trials
1997 24–25 JulyBirminghamAlexander Stadium
1998 24–26 JulyBirminghamAlexander Stadium
1999 23–25 JulyBirminghamAlexander StadiumNew javelin model introduced
2000 11–13 JulyBirminghamAlexander StadiumOlympic trials
2001 13–15 JulyBirminghamAlexander Stadium
2002 12–14 JulyBirminghamAlexander StadiumSteeplechase introduced
2003 25–27 JulyBirminghamAlexander Stadium
2004 10–11 JulyManchester Sportcity Olympic trials
2005 9–10 JulyManchester Sportcity
2006 15–16 JulyManchester Sportcity

Most successful athletes by event

EventWomenWomen's titles
100 metres Joice Maduaka 5
200 metres Kathy Smallwood-Cook 6
400 metres Joslyn Hoyte-Smith
Linda Keough
3
800 metres Kelly Holmes 7
1500 metres Hayley Tullett 4
3000 metres Yvonne Murray 4
5000 metres Hayley Yelling 3
10,000 metres Hayley Yelling 3
3000 m steeplechase Tina Brown 2
100 m hurdles Sally Gunnell 7
200 m hurdles Pat Nutting
Pat Jones
3
400 m hurdles Gowry Retchakan 5
High jump Dorothy Tyler 8
Pole vault Janine Whitlock 6
Long jump Ethel Raby 6
Triple jump Michelle Griffith 5
Shot put Judy Oakes 17
Discus throw Suzanne Allday 7
Hammer throw Lorraine Shaw 6
Javelin throw Tessa Sanderson 10
Combined events Mary Peters 8
3000/5000 m race walk Betty Sworowski 4
10,000 m race walk Irene Bateman
Helen Elleker
Betty Sworowski
Vicky Lupton
3

References

  1. Matthews, Peter (1982). The Guinness Book of Athletics Facts and Feats. Guinness Superlatives. p. 209. ISBN   0-85112-238-8.
  2. AAA Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  3. About Athletics. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 AAA Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  5. WAAA Championships (1923-1939). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  6. 1 2 British Athletics Championships 1945-1959. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  7. Olympic Games (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  8. European Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  9. AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists. National Union of Track and Field Statisticians. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  10. "Women Athletes" . East Kent Gazette. 18 August 1923. Retrieved 8 December 2024 via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Record Performances by Women" . The Scotsman. 30 June 1924. Retrieved 8 December 2024 via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Women's athletics: new venue, date" . Aberdeen Press and Journal. 25 October 1967. Retrieved 26 December 2024 via British Newspaper Archive.
Editions