Ethel Johnson

Ethel Johnson (8 October 1908 – 30 March 1964) was an English athlete who competed for Great Britain at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Biography She was born in Westhoughton, Lancashire and was a member of Bolton United Harriers.

Johnson became the national 100 yards champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1932 WAAA Championships, setting a new world record in the heats of the event in a time of 11.0 seconds.

Shortly afterwards, she was one of a team of five women entered by the Women's Amateur Athletic Association at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics as Britain's first female Olympians in athletics events, together with Gwendoline Porter, Eileen Hiscock, Nellie Halstead, and seventeen-year-old Violet Webb. They sailed for five days from Southampton to Quebec and then travelled a further 3000 miles by train before arriving in Los Angeles. Ethel was eliminated in the first round of the Olympic 100 metre contest. and had to be replaced due to injury by Violet Webb in the women's 4x100 metres relay.

At the 1934 Empire Games she was a member of the England relay team which won the silver medal in the 220-110-220-110 yards relay competition (with Eileen Hiscock, Nellie Halstead, Johnson and Ivy Walker). In the 100 yards competition she finished fifth and in the 220 yards contest she finished sixth.