Only UBC female track athlete to appear in two Olympics, during the 1970s was recognized as one of the world's leading middle distance and cross-country runners, setting Canadian and UBC records. Led UBC to three Canada West championships and two National titles. Won medals at Commonwealth, Pan Am World Student Games and as representative of the World All-Stars. Seven-time Canadian champion in cross-country.
Thelma Fynn was first recognized on campus as an athlete in September 1969, as it was announced that track coach Lionel Pugh would be leaving for Tokyo's Pan Pacific Games taking only two of UBC's best women athletes with him - Thelma Fynn and Brenda Eisler. Fynn, an 800m to 3000m specialist, was at the time the Canadian record holder in the Junior and Juvenile 800m and 1500m and had represented Canada earlier in this her "frosh" year, in both the Pan American Games and the World Cross-Country Championships.
Fynn had started a career that was successful at both the International and University levels. In 1970 she won bronze medals at both the Commonwealth Games (1500m) and the World Cross-Country Championships. With her bronze in the 1500m, Fynn, at the age of 18, had set a new Canadian record with a time of 4:19.1. This time was only a couple of seconds shy of the American record and one of the very best times by a teenager for this distance in the world. That same year at the Western Canadian Intercollegiate championships, Thelma helped UBC to a second place finish by winning both the 800m and 1500m races. She also represented UBC at the 1970 World Student Games at Turin, Italy, running in the 800m.
The next year's Thunderbird women's track team was second to none in the annals of UBC athletics. Fynn was one of six women on that team who participated in the Olympic Games. The "mighty atom", as she was affectionately known, was also at the time one of only three women who competed on both the UBC track and cross-country teams.
Recognized as one of the world's leading cross-country runners, she led this 1971/72 UBC team to victory over US Pacific Northwest competition as well as a first place finish in a meet against the three Alberta universities. At the BC championships this same year, she finished first in the cross- country helping UBC qualify for the National championships in Halifax where, to the delight of local track and field fans, she was a major factor in bringing to UBC the Canadian team championship.
Internationally in 1971/72, Fynn won a bronze in the metric mile representing the World All-Stars in a meet involving the US and Russia. In a Canada versus Italy meet in Palermo, Italy, she beat Italy's record holder Paola Pigne Cacchi to win the 1500m. Thelma was selected to run for Canada in the 1972 Olympics, the first of her two Olympic appearances. Even though she ran her personal best time of 4:15.4 in the Olympic 1500m, she finished out of the medals. Thelma is, however, the only woman in UBC track and field history to represent Canada in two Olympics.
In 1972/73 Thelma (who was now married to former UBC field hockey star Lee Wright) again competed for both the UBC track and cross-country teams. The Olympian led UBC to the Western Canadian university cross-country championship and in the process was selected the top individual performer in the conference. She also led the track team to the Canada West title with her first place finishes in the 800m and 1500m races.
In the summer of 1973 Wright again represented UBC at the World Student Games held in Moscow, running in the 1500m against some very experienced "students" from around the world.
In 1973/74 the UBC women's track and cross-country teams were again Canada West champions with Wright the conference 800 metre champion and record setter as well as the repeat winner in the overall individual cross-country standings. In February of 1974, as a member of Canada's Commonwealth Games team, Wright won a bronze in the 1500m with a time of 4:12.3. Later in the year she reduced this time to 4:10.5, her personal best, which at the time was only nine seconds off the world record.
Thelma Wright graduated from UBC in 1974, with a Bachelor of Physical Education degree. She was the winner of five Big Block awards in track and field and, along with volleyball star Maureen Fishleigh, was awarded the Sparling trophy (now Marilyn Pomfret trophy) as UBC's outstanding female athlete of 1973/74. She won 17 of the 1500m races she ran this season topping off the year by being named the Canadian University Woman Athlete of the Year for 73/74.
During her years at UBC, 1969 to 1974, she contributed significantly to the three Canada West championships of both the UBC cross-country and track teams. She represented Canada at both the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, won medals at the 1970 and 1974 Commonwealth Games and was a silver medal winner both at the 1975 World Student Games and the 1975 Pan American Games. In her Student Games performance, her time of 8:54.9 in the 3000m set a Canadian record that would stand for nine years until broken by her protege, Lynn Williams. During her career Wright was a four time Canadian champion in the 1500 metre, and seven-time Canadian champion in the cross-country.
Wright returned to UBC in 1987 to coach the track and field team for one year and during the summer of 1988 coached UBC's cross-country team. In 1988 she was also responsible for resurrecting UBC's track and field summer sports camp. In addition, Thelma represents one of five members of the Wright family who are UBC Olympians including her father-in-law, her husband Lee, and her sons Philip and Anthony.
For almost ten years this UBC runner dominated the Canadian scene in the 800m to 2.5-mile distances, being many times Canadian champion and/or record holder. As a family friend describing Thelma as a youngster said, "Guts, is what I remember. She just never stopped trying."
This Inductee is also in the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
