Alix Jamieson

Alix Jamieson won the inaugural Scottish women´s pentathlon title in 1958. A student at Hutcheson´s Grammar School, Glasgow, and member of Maryhill Harriers at the time, she went on to win the title a further five times. Being an all-round athlete, Jamieson twice won both the sprint hurdles and 100 yards Scottish titles, but concentrated on the long jump and was champion seven times. Jamieson also broke the Scottish long jump record in 1959 and then held it continuously from 1964-69. She also twice broke the 80 metres hurdles record in 1964 and held the Scottish pentathlon record from 1958-69.

As a 16-year-old, Jamieson represented Scotland at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Cardiff, and competed in the 100- and 220 yards, and high jump. She attended Dunfermline College of Physical Education (DCPE) in Aberdeen and was training to be a physical education teacher at the time. During her time at DCPE Jamieson became a dual international because, in 1961, she made her Scotland hockey début against Ireland, and the following year represented the Great Britain athletics team for the first time.

Jamieson joined Western Athletic Club in 1964 and that year won her only senior WAAA title when she won the indoor long jump. Also that year, she went to the Tokyo Olympics as the third British women´s long jumper with Mary Rand (the eventual gold medal winner) and Sheila Parkin. Jamieson finished 17th and last of the finalists. The closest Jamieson came to a senior outdoor WAAA title was in finishing third behind Mary Peters in the pentathlon in 1966. That year Jamieson competed in the 100 yards and long jump at the Kingston (Jamaica) British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

After the Kingston Games, Jamieson spent a lot of time away from the sport with injuries but made a comeback in 1969 in readiness for the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, where she missed out on a medal in the long jump by just 5cm. Her sister Jean, known as Jinty, was eighth in the same event, while Alix´s husband Dave Stevenson was ninth in the pole vault.

Jamieson went on to teach PE at a Glasgow school and in 1970 she opened the successful Edinburgh Woollen Mills Tweed Shop in conjunction with her husband´s company, which had designed the Commonwealth Tartan worn by Scottish athletes at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. The pair also became successful racehorse owners. Jamieson´s father Andrew was a well-known Scottish amateur golfer and appeared in the 1926 Walker Cup match against the United States. He was better known for his achievement at that year´s Amateur Championship at Muirfield, however, when he beat the legendry Bobby Jones of the USA 4 & 3 in the quarter-final. Alix Jamieson was second cousin to Jean Westwood, the first World Champion in figure skating ice dance (with Lawrence Demmy), who won the title five years consecutively from 1951.

Personal Best: LJ – 6.27 (1970).