Athletics at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games:

Australia had the fastest woman sprinter in the world in Betty Cuthbert, who had won the 100 and 200. She would run the anchor and their team would be started off by Shirley Strickland-de la Hunty, who had defended her 80 metre hurdles gold medal. In the first round, Australia bettered the world record with 44.9. But in the final, the British team had very clean passes, and still held the lead as June Foulds-Paul passed off to Heather Armitage, with Cuthbert a metre in arrears. But Cuthbert, the “Golden Girl,” caught Armitage by 50 metres and won by half a metre.