Marise Chamberlain

Marise Chamberlain

MNZM

Chamberlain at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Born	5 December 1935 (1935-12-05) (age 88) Christchurch, New Zealand
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	800 m
Club	Canterbury
Achievements and titles
Personal best	800 m – 2:01.4 (1962)[1]
Medal record Representing  New Zealand Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo 800 metres Commonwealth Games 1962 Perth 880 yards

Marise Ann Millicent Chamberlain MNZM (born 5 December 1935) is a New Zealand former middle-distance runner. As of 2024, she is the only New Zealand woman to win an Olympic medal in track athletics (Lorraine Moller won a medal in the marathon). She set world records over 440 yards, 400 metres and 1 mile.^[2]

At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia, she won a silver medal over 880 yards, behind Australian Dixie Willis. Two years later, at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she won the bronze medal^[1][3] behind Ann Packer (gold) and Maryvonne Dupureur (silver), the top five runners beating the old Olympic record time set by Dupureur in the semifinals.^[4]

At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica Chamberlain stumbled just before the finish line when leading in the 880 yds final and missed out on a medal.

In the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, Chamberlain was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to athletics.^[5]

Chamberlain was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. She has lived in the Christchurch suburb of South New Brighton all her life. Since Earle Wells' death in 2021, she is the only surviving New Zealand medallist from the 1964 Summer Olympics.^[2]

Chamberlain Place, in the Hamilton suburb of Chartwell, is named in Chamberlain's honour.^[6]

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