| Intro | British sprinter | ||
| Is |
Athlete Runner Sprinter |
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| From | United Kingdom | ||
| Type | Sports | ||
| Gender | female | ||
| Birth | 14 February 1964, Dunfermline, United Kingdom | ||
| Age: | 56 years | ||
| Star sign | Aquarius | ||
| Education |
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Linsey Macdonald (born 14 February 1964) is a former Scottish sprinter from Dunfermline, Fife, who specialised in the 400 metres. She was nicknamed “The Fife Flyer” during her career. Inspired by competitors like Mary Peters she started in athletics at the age of 10.
Athletics career
In 1978 Macdonald was a successful schoolgirl runner, where she was British School Girl Champion in the 100/300 metres. She moved up to be a successful junior runner winning the AAA’S indoor 60 metres championship, she then added the Junior indoor 400 metres a year later.
Her success continued when she won the AAA’S Junior Championships in the 100, and 400 metres in 1979, and 100 and 200 in 1980. Also in 1980 she was AAA’s indoor 200 metres champion, as well as U.K. Champion in the 400 metres.
Still at 16 years old Macdonald went with the British team to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, after setting a British Junior record of 51.16 seconds, which still stands, where she ran in the 400 metres and qualified for the Olympic final where she finished 8th in 52.40 seconds. She was a member of the 4×400 metre relay team that went on and secured the Olympic bronze medal.
In 1981 she won the Scottish and the U.K. 100/200 metres Championships, then won a bronze medal at the European Junior Championships.
Macdonald also went with the Scottish team to Brisbane for the 1982 Commonwealth Games where again she won a bronze medal with the 4×400 relay team. She was eliminated in the heats of the Athens European Championships in 1982. Coached until the age of 18 by Jimmy Brice, she was subsequently coached by John Anderson.
She never bettered her run of 51.16 at 16.
In 1985 she won the Scottish 400 metres championship, and the AAA’s Indoor 400 title.
She was a member of Pitreavie Amateur Athletic Club, and still holds several club records.
Career and personal life
Macdonald has degrees in chemical engineering and medicine from the University of Edinburgh and is a general practitioner with a special interest in sport medicine in Hong Kong. She is married to Christopher Tong, an orthopaedic surgeon and has two sons, Hamish and Fergus.