Newspaper Article 1974 – Thrilled over medal

Thrilled over medal

The only other Games bronze medallist living in Hastings, Mrs Rona McCarthy, Pepper St, (pictured) said this morning that she was “thrilled with John Coutts’s result.”

Mrs McCarthy is holding the medal she won in the 80-metre hurdles at the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney.

Mrs McCarthy, who ran under her maiden name, Rona Tong, still vividly remembers her Sydney final on a grass track.

“In the final, one of the Australian girls broke twice and had to be disqualified, much to the anger of the Australian crowd. The race was delayed for about seven minutes and the tension was tremendous.

“I don’t remember much of the actual race except that I held my breath almost all the way when I realised I was close to winning a medal,” she said.

She ran her fastest time for the event and broke the Australasian record.

“I’d like to see John’s medal, just to see the difference,” she said.

The bronze medal Mrs McCarthy won in Sydney is a heavy medallion-type which does not have a ribbon. “It could not be worn around the neck even if it had a ribbon. It is far too heavy,” Mrs McCarthy said.