Joyce Yakubowich (née Sadowick; 29 May 1953 – 24 March 2024) was a Canadian track and field sprinter who competed mainly in the 200 metres and 400 metres. She was the 400 m gold medallist at the 1975 Pan American Games, where she also won relay medals. She twice represented Canada at the Summer Olympics (1972, 1976) and was a three-time Canadian national sprint champion.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joyce Sadowick |
| Born | 29 May 1953 Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
| Died | 24 March 2024 (aged 70)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Sport | Women's athletics |
Career edit
Born in Burnaby, British Columbia,[2] she made her international debut at age seventeen at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. She was eliminated in the heats of the 400 m, but managed to secure a bronze medal with the Canadian women's 4 × 100 m relay team, which included Joan Hendry, Patty Loverock and Stephanie Berto.[3] She went on to attend the University of Victoria and broke several track records, including one for the 300 metres which remains unbeaten.[4]
Yakubowich ran at the 1971 Pan American Games and made her first individual final, taking sixth in the 400 m. With the Canadian relay team she missed a medal, taking fourth some distance behind bronze medallists Jamaica.[5] Her first national titles came at the 1972 Canadian Track and Field Championships, where she claimed both the 200 m and 400 m races – the latter in a championship record of 54.1 seconds.[6] An Olympic debut came the following year at the 1972 Munich Games, but the 19-year-old failed to make it out of the heats.[2] She gained her first individual medal a year later at the 1973 Pacific Conference Games, taking 400 m bronze.[7]
The 1975 season proved to be the peak of her career. First, she won the third and final national title of her career in the 200 m.[6] She was chosen to compete in four events at the 1975 Pan American Games. She placed sixth in the 200 m final, recording a lifetime best time of 23.34 seconds. She gave a dominant performance in the women's 400 m final, defeating American Debra Sapenter by over half a second to win the gold medal in 51.62 seconds – another lifetime personal record and also a games record. Another games record and gold medal came with the 4 × 400 m relay team of Margaret McGowen, Rachelle Campbell, and Joanne McTaggart, which she led off to victory to 3:30.36 minutes. A third medal of the games for Yakubowich came in the 4 × 100 metres relay: running the anchor leg off McTaggart and 100 m minor medallists Patty Loverock and Marjorie Bailey the team took the bronze.[8][9][10]
She made two further high-profile international appearances in her career following her Pan American success. She returned to the Olympic stage at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, running in the 400 m quarter-finals and placing eighth in the relay final on home turf alongside fellow Canadians Margaret Stride, Campbell and Yvonne Saunders.[2] Her last outing was for the Americas team at the 1977 IAAF World Cup: running with Cuba's Aurelia Pentón and Jamaicans Jacqueline Pusey and Helen Blake, she placed fifth.
International competitions edit
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | British Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 6th (heats) | 400 m | 55.2 |
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.68 | |||
| 1971 | Pan American Games | Cali, Colombia | 6th | 400 m | 54.88 |
| 4th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:41.23 | |||
| 1972 | Olympic Games | Munich, Germany | 6th (heats) | 400 m | 54.59 |
| 1973 | Pacific Conference Games | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 3rd | 400 m | 54.0 |
| 1975 | Pan American Games | Mexico City, Mexico | 6th | 200 m | 23.34 |
| 1st | 400 m | 51.62 GR | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 43.68 | |||
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:30.36 GR | |||
| 1976 | Olympic Games | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 7th (q-finals) | 400 m | 55.02 |
| 8th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:28.91 | |||
| 1977 | IAAF World Cup | Düsseldorf, Germany | 5th | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:31.0 |
National titles edit
- Canadian Track and Field Championships[6]
- 200 m: 1972, 1975
- 400 m: 1972
References edit
- ^ Joyce Yakubowich's obituary
- ^ a b c Joyce Yakubowich. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 13 February 2016.
- ^ Games Results for Joyce Ladowick. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 13 February 2016.
- ^ Vikes Men's and Women's Track 2010. Victoria Vikes. Retrieved on 14 February 2016.
- ^ 1971 Pan American Games. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 14 February 2016.
- ^ a b c Joyce Yakubowich. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 13 February 2016.
- ^ Pacific Conference Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 14 February 2016.
- ^ Pan American Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 14 February 2016.
- ^ Joyce Yakubowich. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 14 February 2016.
- ^ 1975 Pan American Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 14 February 2016.