View source for Heather Oakes

{{Short description|English sprinter (b.1959)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name        = Heather Oakes<br>née Hunte
| image       =
| caption     =
| nationality = British (English)
| sport       = [[Sport of Athletics|Athletics]]
| event       = Sprints
| club        = [[Haringey Athletics Club|Haringey AC]]
| height      =163 cm
| weight      =64 kg
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1959|8|14|df=y}}
|birth_place= London, England 
|medaltemplates={{MedalSport | Women's [[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{GBR2}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze| [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]] | 4 × 100 m relay}}
{{Medal|Bronze| [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Indoor Games|World Indoor Games]]}}
{{Medal|Silver| [[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games|1985 Paris]] | 60 m}}
{{Medal|Country | {{ENG}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[Athletics at the 1986 Commonwealth Games|1986 Edinburgh]] | 100 m}}
{{Medal|Gold| 1986 Edinburgh | 4 × 100 m relay}}
{{Medal|Country |[[File:Europe (orthographic projection).svg|20px]] [[Europe]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Cup|World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1979 IAAF World Cup|1979 Montreal]] | 4 × 100 m relay}}
}}

'''Heather Regina Oakes''' (née '''Hunte''' born 14 August 1959) is a female [[England|English]] former [[Sprint (running)|sprinter]] who competed mainly in the [[100 metres]]. In the 4 × 100m relay, she won [[Summer Olympics|Olympic]] bronze medals in [[1980 Summer Olympics|Moscow 1980]] and [[1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles 1984]]. She also won a silver medal in the 60m at the [[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games|1985 World Indoor Games]], and a gold medal in the 100m at the [[1986 Commonwealth Games]].

== Biography ==
Oakes was born in [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], London. She was a member of the [[Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club|Haringey Athletic Club]]. In 1977, as Heather Hunte, she finished fourth in the 100 m final at the European Junior Championships in [[Donetsk]], being edged out of a medal by teammate [[Kathy Smallwood]] (11.71 - 11.72). She won a bronze medal in the sprint relay.

Hunte became the [[List of British champions in 100 metres|British 100 metres champion]] after winning the British [[WAAA Championships]] title at the [[1979 WAAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref>

On 21 May 1980, at a meeting at the [[Crystal Palace National Sports Centre|Crystal Palace]], she ran the 100 metres in a [[Wind assistance|wind-assisted]] 11.01 secs (+4.0).<ref>http://www.thepowerof10.info/rankings/rankinglist/aspx?event=100&agegroup=ALL&sex=W&alltime=y{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Later that year she competed for Great Britain at the [[1980 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] in [[Moscow]], where she won a [[bronze medal]] in the [[4 × 100 metres relay]], with her teammates Smallwood, [[Beverley Goddard]] and [[Sonia Lannaman]]. They ran a UK record of 42.43, which stood as the UK record until 2014. She also placed eighth in the 100 m final in 11.34 secs. In 1982, now competing as Heather Oakes, she finished seventh in the 100 metres final at the [[1982 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]] in 11.39. In 1983, at the [[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in Helsinki, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 metres, running 11.50.

At the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympic Games]] in [[Los Angeles]], Oakes reunited with two of her Moscow teammates, Kathy Cook (Smallwood)) and Beverley Callender (Goddard) to win another bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m relay, they were joined by [[Simmone Jacobs]]. In the 100 m final, she finished seventh in 11.43.<ref>http://www.todor66.com/olim/1985=4/Athletics/index.html{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She had a fine indoor season in 1985, winning medals at both the [[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games|World Indoor Games]] and the [[1985 European Indoor Championships in Athletics|European Indoor Championships]]. At the World Indoors in January in Paris, she won a silver medal in 7.21 secs, just one-one hundredth of a second behind the winner [[Silke Gladisch]]. Then at the Europeans in March, she won the bronze medal behind [[Nelli Cooman]] and [[Marlies Gohr]], but ahead of Gladisch. Oakes also regained the 100 metres title at the [[1985 WAAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=13 March 2025 }}</ref>

Oakes became [[1986 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth 100 m champion]] in [[Edinburgh]], Scotland in 1986. She won in a lifetime best time of 11.20 secs. In an incredibly close race, she edged ahead of teammate [[Paula Dunn]] (11.21) and Canada's [[Angella Issajenko]] (also 11.21). Oakes later teamed up with Dunn, Kathy Cook and [[Joan Baptiste]], to win the [[gold medal]] in the sprint relay. Oakes anchored the England quartet to victory  in 43.39. Later in 1986, she reached the semi-finals of both the 100 and 200 metres at the [[1986 European Championships in Athletics|European Championships]] in Stuttgart. In the 200 m, an event that she rarely contested. she ran a lifetime best of 22.92 secs.<ref>http://www.todor66.com/athletics/europe/1986/index/html{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

During her career, Oakes won four [[WAAA Championships|WAAAs National titles]] and five UK National titles. As of 2022, her legal 100 m best (11.20) ranks her 18th on the UK all-time list, her 200 m best (22.92) ranks her 30th, while her 60 m best (7.21) ranks her 12th.

While Oakes competed at the highest level for her country, she also held down a full-time job. This is in contrast to today's athletes, who through lottery funding and sponsorship are able to train and compete without distraction. She is married to fellow Olympic bronze medallist [[Gary Oakes]].

== Personal bests ==
*'''60 m''' 7.21  Paris (Bercy) 19/01/1985 
*'''100 m''' 11.20  Beijing, CHN 20/09/1980 - ran 11.01 wind-assisted (+4.0) London 21/05/1980
*'''200 m''' 22.92  Stuttgart, GER 28/08/1986
*'''4 × 100 m relay''' 42.43 Moscow, RUS 1/08/80  UK Record

==National titles==
* 2-time [[WAAA Championships|WAAAs (of England) National]] 100 m champion 1979, 1985 (2nd in 78, 83, 86, 3rd in 80, 82 )
* 2-time [[AAA Indoor Championships|AAAs National Indoor]] 60 m champion 1978, 1985
* 5-times [[UK Athletics Championships|UK National]] champion 1979 (100), 1980 (100), 1982 (100), 1984 (100 & 200 m) (2nd at 200 in 1980)
 
==International competitions==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing|  {{ENG}}
|-
|1982
|[[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Brisbane, Australia]]
|7th
|100 m
|11.39w
|-
|rowspan=2|1986
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 1986 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|100 m
|11.20w
|-
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|4 × 100 m
|43.39
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing  {{GBR2}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1977
|rowspan=2|[[1977 European Athletics Junior Championships|European Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Donetsk]], [[Soviet Union]]
|4th
|100 m
|11.72
|-
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|4 × 100 m
|44.71
|-
|rowspan=3|1979
|rowspan=2|[[1979 European Cup (athletics)|European Cup]]
|rowspan=2|[[Turin, Italy]]
|4th
|100 m
|11.30
|-
|bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
|4 × 100 m
|43.18
|-
|[[1979 IAAF World Cup|World Cup]]
|[[Montreal, Canada]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|4 × 100 m
|42.19
|-
|rowspan=2|1980
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Moscow, Russia]]
|8th
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metres|11.34]]
|-
|bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
|4 × 100 m
|42.43
|-
|1983
|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Helsinki, Finland]]
|semi-final
|100 m
|11.50
|-
|rowspan=2|1984
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Los Angeles, United States]]
|7th
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metres|11.43]]
|-
|bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
|4 × 100 m
|43.11
|-
|rowspan=4|1985
|[[1985 IAAF World Indoor Games|World Indoor Games]]
|[[Paris, France]]
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd
|60 m
|7.21
|-
|[[1985 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Piraeus, Greece]]
|bgcolor="cc9966" | 3rd
|60 m
|7.22
|-
|rowspan=2|[[1985 European Cup (athletics)|European Cup]]
|rowspan=2|[[Moscow, Russia]]
|6th
|100 m
|11.33
|-
|4th
|4 × 100 m
|43.35
|-
|rowspan=2|1986
|rowspan=2|[[1986 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|rowspan=2|[[Stuttgart, Germany]]
|semi-final
|100 m
|11.29
|-
|semi-final
|200 m
|22.92
|}
<small>'''Note:''' Won the 1979 World Cup sprint relay representing Europe. Ran the anchor leg. The other team members were [[Linda Haglund]] (SWE), <br /> [[Chantal Rega]] (FRA) and [[Annegret Richter]] (FRG)</small>.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/hu/heather-hunte-oakes-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418000857/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/hu/heather-hunte-oakes-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-18 |title=Heather Hunte-Oakes}}
* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1720972,00.html 1980 British relay team, 5 March 2006], ''[[The Guardian]]''.

{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 100 metres Women}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 4x100 m Women}}
{{Footer UK NC 100 Metres Women}}
{{Footer UK NC 200 Metres Women}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakes, Heather}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Athletes from the London Borough of Hackney]]
[[Category:English female sprinters]]
[[Category:British female sprinters]]
[[Category:Black British sportswomen]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:English Olympic competitors]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic female sprinters]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportswomen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]