Joy Jordan

Joy Buckmaster (later Jordan) made an impact as a 14-year-old when, as a student at Aldershot County High School in 1950, she was part of the quartet that finished second in the sprint relay at the All-England Junior and Intermediate Championships. In 1953 Buckmaster set an all-England Schools´ record for the 200 yards in her heat at the National Schools´ Championships. Also in the 1950s, she won the Hampshire 100 and 220 yards tiles. Originally a member of the Aldershot Athletics Club and the Guildford and Godalming AC, it was with the Spartan Ladies of London that she enjoyed most of her successes.

After marrying Dennis Jordan, a civil service engineer, and secretary of the Guildford and Godalming Club, in 1957, Joy competed as Mrs Jordan. Her husband would become her trainer and coach. Having finished third in the WAAA 440 yards in 1956, Jordan went on to win the half-mile title five years in succession, 1958-62. She also won the Surrey County 880 yards title 1959-61 and the 440 in 1960. In addition, Jordan was the Surrey County cross-country champion in 1961.

Just two weeks after her Olympic appearance, Jordan broke Nina Otkalenko´s two-year-old 880 yards world record at the Gosling Stadium, Welwyn Garden City with a time of 2:06.1. On the same day, Jordan´s fellow Olympian, swimmer Natalie Steward, also broke a world record, at Blackpool. Jordan enjoyed an excellent career on the international stage. She reached the final of the 800 metres at the 1958 European Championships and two years later finished sixth in the 800 final at the Roma Olympics, won by Lyudmila Lysenko of the Soviet Union in a world record time. At the 1962 Belgrade Europeans, Jordan finished fourth in a British 800 record 2:05.0, and at that year´s British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Perth, Australia, she was captain of the English ladies´ athletics team and captured the bronze medal in the 880 yards in another British record 2:05.5. Jordan announced her retirement after the Perth Games but made a comeback in 1967, having given birth to two babies, and won the silver medal in the mile at that year´s WAAAs.

Personal Best: 800 – 2:05.0 (1962).