Description
In her first meet on June 23, 1927, she won the 60-yd hurdles, the 50-yd, 100-yd and 200-yd dashes as well as the running long jump. By the end of 1927, she held Canadian records in the indoor 50 and 220. In 1928, she repeated these victories and added a first in javelin. At the Olympic trials, she won the 220-yd and placed second by inches in the 60-yd.
The 1928 Olympics saw women’s first foray into track and field. Gertrude Phinney did not attend due to the prevailing attitudes of the times regarding women in sports. However, a comparison of winning times from those Amsterdam Olympics clearly indicates that Gertrude would have probably have captured one or more gold medals.
In the Maritime Championships in 1929, she won gold in all three sprints, the relay and the standing long jump. By the end of the year, she held Canadian records in the indoor 50-yd, the outdoor 60-yd and the indoor 220-yd dashes.
Gertrude was also an excellent tennis player. She graduated from Acadia with her B.Sc. and 50 years later received her B.Ed. also from Acadia. She worked as a dietician for a time and also taught Home Economics in Lawrencetown. Gertrude Phinney Young Beattie is also a member of the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.
