Coverage of women’s sports in the media has improved compared to 50 years ago. However, there is still one name that has been drowned out and lost in history. In 1967, a thirteen year old Canadian girl finished first place against 28 adult males in a full marathon, and shattered the previous female world record. Her name? Maureen Wilton (now Mancuso).
Mancuso ran the marathon in 3 hours, 15 minutes. She is the only Canadian to ever hold a world record in this sport- male or female; yet nobody has heard of her. It would be assumed that being a woman and a minor, such an accomplishment would be celebrated. However, Mancuso received tremendous backlash from news reporters and people in the community. Many criticized her family, saying that 42.2km is too long a distance for a girl her age. Mancuso also recalled one reporter asking her to “prove that she was indeed a female”. The marathon was not her favourite event anyway, but the amount of negative coverage and comments further discouraged her. “I think if there was any enthusiasm to do another, that probably killed it” she said. Mancuso never ran a marathon again.
Mancuso is only 66 years old today, showing it was not long ago that women who participated in sports that were predominantly male, were pushed under the rug. Even in today’s society there are plenty of professional female athletes that are lost in the shadows of their male counterparts. Despite the fact that female participation has increased tremendously the last few decades, there is significant underrepresentation on the news and social media. The transition to equal coverage between genders in broadcasting may be a long journey. Hopefully with increased awareness and support from society we will begin to see equal gender representation in the world of sport; and that women receive their deserved recognition.
KFarrell
Sport, Not Games ⚽ 