Hope

Betty Cuthbert with weights The Herald & Weekly Times Photographic Collection

All those months and months of training had proved their value in exactly 52 seconds. It was the fastest I'd ever run for the distance and was only a tenth of a second outside Sin Kim Dan's world record. In less than a minute everything I'd planned for, worked for and prayed for HAD come true.

Betty Cuthbert, 1966

Seventeen-year-old sprinter Betty Cuthbert won a remarkable haul of three gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games in the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4 x 100 metres relay. She was hampered by injury at the 1960 Olympics but, encouraged by her coach June Ferguson, she prepared for the longer 400 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

She built up her stamina on a running machine, then a rarity in Australia. The running machine, on display in Eternity, could be used to train in wet weather, allowed her coach closer scrutiny of her style, improved her balance and endurance, and replicated the feeling of sheer speed. Her main rivals in the race were Australia's Judy Amoore and Great Britain's Ann Packer.

While visiting Eternity take the opportunity to record your own story of hope.