Flintoff, Debra (1960—)

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Flintoff, Debra (1960—)

Australian runner. Name variations: Debbie Flintoff-King. Born Debra Flintoff in Kew, Melbourne, Australia, on April 20, 1960; married Phil King (her coach).

Won gold medals in the Commonwealth Games (1982, 1986); won Olympic gold medal in 400-meter hurdles in Seoul, Korea (1988).

A hard-working and determined athlete, Australian Debbie Flintoff-King had an early interest in netball and the heptathlon before turning her attention to the demanding 400-meter hurdles. After winning gold medals in the Commonwealth Games of 1982 and 1986, she further honed her skills under the careful eye of her husband-coach Phil King. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, she overcame physical and personal setbacks to win a gold medal in Olympic record time: 53.17. Tatyana Ledovskaya of the Soviet Union took the silver; Ellen Fiedler of East Germany took the bronze.

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