Judy Livermore-Simpson

Judy Livermore-Simpson arrived in England from Jamaica as a child and began her athletic career at the Rugby Athletics Club. She qualified to compete for Great Britain in the women’s pentathlon at the Moscow Olympics whilst still a teenager and placed thirteenth. Showing a continuous improvement over the next few years Livermore-Simpson placed 4th in the 1981 World Student Games and 7th at the 1982 European Championships before winning her first major medal, a silver, at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. Whilst in contention for a medal at the 1983 World Championships she suffered a personal disaster when all javelin throws landed flat and she withdrew from the event. The javelin was always a severe weakness for her and a poor performance at the 1984 Olympics potentially cost her a medal.

1986 was her best year and she won her only major title, the Commonwealth Games, and also secured a bronze at the European Championships. A glamorous figure with long beaded hair she was beset by injuries towards the end of the eighties and never again managed to attain the same level of performance. Also a national champion at taekwondo she served as honorary President of the Women’s Sports Federation after her athletic career ended and was a familiar figure on UK television throughout the nineties as part of the popular “Gladiators” TV programme.

Personal Bests: HJ – 1.92 (1983); Pen – 4357 (1980); Hep – 6623 (1986).