Joyce Cooper

Margaret Joyce Cooper (18 April 1909 – 22 July 2002), later known by her married name Joyce Badcock, was an English competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain at the Olympics and European championships, and England at the British Empire Games, during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Joyce Cooper

Cooper in 1934
Personal information
Full name	Margaret Joyce Cooper
National team	Great Britain
Born	(1909-04-18)18 April 1909 Troup, Ceylon
Died	22 July 2002(2002-07-22) (aged 93) Chichester, England
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Backstroke, freestyle
Club	Mermaid Swimming Club
Medal record Representing United Kingdom Olympic Games 1928 Amsterdam 4×100 m freestyle 1928 Amsterdam 100 m freestyle 1928 Amsterdam 100 m backstroke 1932 Los Angeles 4×100 m freestyle European Championships 1927 Bologna 4×100 m freestyle 1927 Bologna 100 m freestyle 1931 Paris 400 m freestyle 1931 Paris 100 m backstroke 1931 Paris 4×100 m freestyle 1931 Paris 100 m freestyle Representing England British Empire Games 1930 Hamilton 100 yd freestyle 1930 Hamilton 400 yd freestyle 1930 Hamilton 100 yd backstroke 1930 Hamilton 4×100 yd freestyle

Swimming career

At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, she won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay, and a pair of bronze medals in the 100-metre freestyle and 100-metre backstroke events. In the 100-metre freestyle she finished together with Jean McDowell, but the judges gave the bronze medal to Cooper in a 3–2 vote.

Cooper also won one gold, four silver and one bronze medals at the 1927 and 1931 European championships, and, while representing England, four gold medals at the 1930 British Empire Games.

When Los Angeles hosted the 1932 Summer Olympics, she won a bronze in the women's 4×100-metre freestyle relay. In individual competition, she was fourth in the 400-metre freestyle, and sixth in the 100-metre backstroke.

Personal life

Cooper was born in the British island colony of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where her father owned a tea plantation. In 1934 she married British Olympic rowing champion John Badcock. Their eldest son Felix Badcock won a bronze medal in rowing at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales and their younger son Francis 'David' M Badcock (born 1937), also rowed for the Thames RC and was a reserve for 1958 Commonwealth games crew in addition to rowing in the 1958 boat race.

See also

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)

References

• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Joyce Cooper". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
• "Joyce Cooper; Obituary". The Times. 26 July 2002. p. 32.
• "British Olympic Association > Athletes > Margaret Joyce Cooper". Retrieved 18 March 2009.
• "British Olympic Association > Athletes > Joyce Cooper". Retrieved 18 March 2009.
• Media related to Joyce Cooper at Wikimedia Commons

British women 4 × 100 m team at the 1928 Olympics, Cooper is first from left