Jackson, Marjorie (1931-…), known as the Lithgow Flash, was the first Australian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field. She won the 100-meter sprint at the Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland, in 1952. She also won the 200-meter event in the same games, setting a world record of 23.4 seconds in a preliminary round.
Marjorie Jackson was born on Sept. 13, 1931, in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and educated at Lithgow. At the age of 17, she beat the Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four Olympic gold medals. Between 1950 and 1954, Jackson won every state and Australian title for the 100-yard, 100-meter, 220-yard, and 200-meter sprints. In 1953, she married Peter Nelson, a Olympic cyclist, and became known as Marjorie Jackson-Nelson. She retired from competition after winning three gold medals at the 1954 Commonwealth Games. Jackson-Nelson served as governor of the state of South Australia from 2001 to 2007.
