Madeline Manning (Mims)
Inducted: 1984, athlete
Born: January 11, 1948 - Cleveland, Ohio
Events
800 m - 1:57.90
One of the first female American middle distance stars of world-class caliber, Madeline Manning-Mims was the 1968 Olympic 800m champion at Mexico City while attending Tennessee State University. In 1965, while a student at John Hay High School in Cleveland, she won her first national title in the 440-yard run at the girls' AAU championships and was named to the U.S. team that competed in meets against the USSR, Poland and West Germany. From 1967 to 1980, Manning-Mims won 10 national indoor and outdoor titles and set numerous American records as well. After setting a national record of 2:02.3 in 1967, she improved on that record three times, eventually running 1:57.9 in 1976. She set three world indoor records, culminating with a best of 2:02.0 in the 800m in 1969. Her 1968 Olympic victory was unexpected but decisive, as she won by more than 10 meters in an Olympic record of 2:00.9. She also was a member of the 1972 and 1976 Olympic teams and in 1980, at the age of 32, won the U.S. Olympic Trials. Only the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games kept her out of her fourth Olympiad. Coming out of retirement three times during her career, she also won a silver medal at the 1972 Olympic Games as a member of the 4x400m relay team. She was the 1975 Pan-American champion and in 1966 won the 400 at the World University Games.
Records Held
Olympic Record: 800 m - 2:00.90
American Record: 800 m - 1:57.90
Championships
1968 Olympics: 800 m - 2:00.90 (1st)
1972 Olympics: 1,600 m relay (2nd)
1966 World University Games: 400 m (1st)
1965 AAU: 440 yd. (1st)
1975 Pan-Am Games: 400 m (1st)
Education
high school: John Hay (Cleveland, Ohio)
undergraduate: Tennessee State (Nashville, Tennessee), 1972
Occupations
Gospel singer
Lay preacher
Motivational speaker