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Donna HartleyFormer British track and field athlete
Date of Birth: 01.05.1955
Country:  Great Britain |
Biography of Donna Hartley
Early Life and Athletics Career
Donna-Marie Louise Murray was born on May 1, 1955, in Southampton, England. She was a former British athlete known for her sporting talents and thick blonde hair, earning her the nickname "Golden Girl" of British athletics. Hartley became the champion of Southern England in sprinting and won the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) competitions in 1972 for the 200-meter race and in 1975 for the 400-meter race. In 1977, she became the British champion for the 400-meter race.
Success in Commonwealth and Olympic Games
In 1977, Donna married athlete Bill Hartley and changed her last name, but their relationship ended in divorce. The following year, she won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and reached the semi-finals at the European Championships in 1979. In 1980, she represented the British Olympic team in Moscow, winning a bronze medal in the 4x400-meter relay event at the Olympic Games.
Later Life and Bodybuilding Career
After retiring from athletics, Donna married Andrew Robert Wass, a television actor and stand-up comedian known as Bobby Knutt, in 1986. She competed in bodybuilding under the name Donna Hartley-Wass, winning the "Miss Britain Physique" prize from the National Amateur Body Building Association in 1988. However, her career in bodybuilding was short-lived. Afterward, she managed a sports dance school called Line Dancing School in Sheffield, near her home. Donna's photographs frequently adorned the covers of sports magazines.
Personal Life and Tragic Death
Donna Hartley was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1979 for her sporting achievements. On June 7, 2013, she tragically passed away while sunbathing in her garden in Sheffield. Her body was discovered by her husband, with whom she had shared 26 years of marriage. He believed that she might have died from a heart attack at the age of 58. Donna and her husband did not have any children together, but Bobby Knutt had an adult daughter from a previous marriage.
