Olympic and Commonwealth champion proud to become Wolverhampton baton-bearer

Anita Lonsbrough MBE has been unveiled as one of Wolverhampton's baton-bearers when the relay comes to the city on July 24 as recognition of her lifelong commitment to sport.

Her long list of achievements began at the age of 16 with two golds for 220 yards breaststroke and 4 x 110 yards medley relay at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff.

Following that, Anita won gold at the Summer Olympics in 1960, setting a new world record time for the 200 metres breaststroke.

Two years later, at the Commonwealth Games in Perth, Anita swam her way to three gold medals in the 110 yards breaststroke, 220 yards breaststroke and 440 yards individual medley. She also won a silver as a member of England’s medley relay.

Anita, who was born in York, also achieved success in European Championship races, notching up one gold, two silver and two bronze medals over the course of her career.

She is also the first woman to carry the British flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the first amateur sportswoman to receive the MBE and the first women to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Anita will be carrying the Baton at WV Active Aldersley, where her husband and fellow Commonwealth Games champion, cyclist Hugh Porter MBE, will be handing the Baton to her.

She said: “It is a great honour to be nominated and selected to be a Batonbearer in the city where I have lived for more than 55 years.

"It is all the more special that Hughie and I are both involved.

"The Commonwealth Games mean an awful lot to me as it gave me my first opportunity to be an international swimmer and compete in the Games and win a gold medal.

"The baton relay is great for sport as the bearers come from all different walks of life and it's nice to represent sport and I hope it could inspire people to take up swimming as well."

Councillor Steve Evans, Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for city environment and climate change, said: “Anita is just the most remarkable sportswoman and we are incredibly proud that she will be carrying the Baton through her home city.

“Anita’s long list of achievements are such an inspiration to many swimmers of all ages and her love of sport remains undimmed. She and her husband Hugh have always been the most fantastic ambassadors for Wolverhampton.

“We are heading closer and closer to the date of the Queen’s Baton Relay and I would invite everyone across the city to come out and cheer on Anita, and our other inspirational Batonbearers, as they make their way through the city.”