About Winsome Cripps
Winsome Cripps, 66, Australian sprinter and Olympian (1952).
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|Winsome Cripps (later Dennis, 9 February 1931 – 30 May 1997) was an Australian sprinter who competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics and the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
In 1952, Cripps competed in the Australian National Championships, and finished third in the 100 yard race and second place in the 220 yards and so was picked for the Australian Athletics Olympic team.
At the 1952 Summer Olympics, Cripps was unlucky to come away without a medal, in the 100 metres she won her first round heat in 12 seconds, then came third in her second round race, luckily the first three from each heat qualified for the semi-finals, in her semi-final she again ran in a time of 12 seconds and finished behind fellow Australian, Marjorie Jackson who ran an equalling World Record time of 11.5 seconds, in the final she ran her best time of 11.9 seconds but only managed to finish in fourth place. A couple of days later she competed in the 200 metres, in her first round heat she finished second and qualified for the next round where again she finished second, and in the final she yet again finished in fourth place. Cripps last event was the 4 x 100 metres relay and with her teammates Marjorie Jackson, Verna Johnston and Shirley Strickland they broke the World Record in their heat running a time off 46.1 seconds, in the final they were ahead until when Cripps (on the third leg) passed the baton to Jackson, somehow Cripps knee hit the baton in Jackson's hand and it fell to the floor, even though it bounced up and Jackson caught it time had been lost and they ended up finishing fifth and to make things worse the United States quartet broke the World Record.
Two years later she competed in the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, this time she returned home with silver medals in the 100 yards and the 220 yard races and with Gwen Wallace, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson and Nancy Fogarty she won gold in the 4 x 110 yards relay.
Cripps retired from athletics shortly after failing to be picked for the 1956 Summer Olympics.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winsome_Cripps
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Winsome Cripps's archived record and the sources above.
1.What medals did Winsome Cripps win at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games?
- A.No medals won
- B.Silver in 100 yards, silver in 220 yards, and gold in relaycorrect
- C.Gold in 100 yards and silver in 220 yards
- D.Gold in all three events
Winsome Cripps earned silver in the 100 yards and 220 yard races, and gold in the 4 x 110 yards relay.
Source: 1954 Commonwealth Games section
2.Who was part of the relay team that won gold with Winsome Cripps in 1954?
- A.The biography does not list these names
- B.Shirley Strickland
- C.Marjorie Jackson-Nelsoncorrect
- D.Verna Johnston
Winsome Cripps won gold in the 4 x 110 yards relay with Gwen Wallace, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, and Nancy Fogarty.
Source: 1954 Commonwealth Games section
3.Why did Winsome Cripps retire from athletics?
- A.She decided to get married and leave sports
- B.She wanted to pursue a career in teaching
- C.She suffered a severe knee injury
- D.She failed to be picked for the 1956 Summer Olympicscorrect
Winsome Cripps retired from athletics shortly after failing to be selected for the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Source: retirement section
4.When did Winsome Cripps pass away?
- A.30 May 1997correct
- B.15 June 1995
- C.9 February 1996
- D.12 August 1998
The biographical text records that Winsome Cripps died on 30 May 1997.
Source: biographical header
5.What was the surname Winsome Cripps took later in her life?
- A.Wallace
- B.Denniscorrect
- C.Jackson
- D.Johnson
The text notes that Winsome Cripps was later known as Winsome Dennis.
Source: biographical header
6.What was the time of the Australian relay team in their 1952 Olympic heat?
- A.48.0 seconds
- B.46.1 secondscorrect
- C.47.2 seconds
- D.45.5 seconds
Winsome Cripps and her teammates broke the World Record in their heat with a time of 46.1 seconds.
Source: 1952 Olympics relay section
7.How old was Winsome Cripps at the time the biography summary was written?
- A.69
- B.66correct
- C.63
- D.60
The biography opening line identifies Winsome Cripps as 66 years old.
Source: biographical header
8.In the 1952 100 metres semi-final, what time did Marjorie Jackson run?
- A.11.5 secondscorrect
- B.12.0 seconds
- C.12.2 seconds
- D.11.9 seconds
In the semi-final, Marjorie Jackson ran an equalling World Record time of 11.5 seconds.
Source: 1952 Olympics 100m section
9.What was the date of birth of the Australian sprinter Winsome Cripps?
- A.20 May 1931
- B.15 March 1930
- C.12 January 1932
- D.9 February 1931correct
The biography explicitly states that Winsome Cripps was born on 9 February 1931.
Source: biographical header
10.In which city or country was Winsome Cripps born?
- A.New Zealand
- B.Canada
- C.Australiacorrect
- D.United Kingdom
Winsome Cripps is identified as an Australian sprinter in the biography.
Source: biographical header
11.At which international event did Winsome Cripps compete in 1952?
- A.Summer Olympicscorrect
- B.Pan American Games
- C.Commonwealth Games
- D.World Championships
Winsome Cripps was a competitor at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Source: introductory paragraph
12.How did Winsome Cripps qualify for the 1952 Australian Athletics Olympic team?
- A.She won the national marathon
- B.She won the 100 metres at the world championships
- C.She was appointed by the Olympic committee directly
- D.She placed third in the 100 yard race and second in the 220 yardscorrect
Winsome Cripps placed third in the 100 yard race and second in the 220 yards at the 1952 National Championships, securing her spot.
Source: 1952 qualification section
13.What was the result of Winsome Cripps in the 100 metres final at the 1952 Summer Olympics?
- A.Fourth placecorrect
- B.Third place
- C.Second place
- D.First place
In the 100 metres final, Winsome Cripps ran her best time of 11.9 seconds but finished in fourth place.
Source: 1952 Olympics 100m section
14.Who was the fellow Australian athlete that Winsome Cripps competed against in the 100 metres semi-final?
- A.Gwen Wallace
- B.Marjorie Jacksoncorrect
- C.Shirley Strickland
- D.Verna Johnston
Winsome Cripps finished behind Marjorie Jackson in the 100 metres semi-final at the 1952 Olympics.
Source: 1952 Olympics 100m section
15.What happened to the relay baton during the 4 x 100 metres final at the 1952 Summer Olympics?
- A.It broke in half during the exchange
- B.It was never passed to the next runner
- C.It was dropped because of rain
- D.It hit Winsome Cripps' knee and fellcorrect
During the third leg, Winsome Cripps' knee hit the baton in Marjorie Jackson's hand, causing it to fall.
Source: 1952 Olympics relay section
16.Which team broke the World Record in the 4 x 100 metres relay final at the 1952 Olympics?
- A.Australia
- B.Canada
- C.The United Statescorrect
- D.Great Britain
The United States quartet broke the World Record in the 4 x 100 metres relay final where Australia finished fifth.
Source: 1952 Olympics relay section
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