Elizabeth Alyse Cuthbert AC, MBE (20 April 1938 – 6 August 2017), was an Australian athlete and a four-time Olympic champion.

Cuthbert had a distinctive running style, with a high knee lift and mouth wide open.

[1] At the age of 18, with the 1956 Summer Olympics to be held in Melbourne, Cuthbert set a World Record in the 200 metres, making her one of the favourites for a gold in that event.

During 1958 Cuthbert set world records for 100 and 220 yards but was beaten in both events by arch-rival and double-Olympic bronze medallist Marlene Mathews at the Australian Championships.

Later in the year, at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, Cuthbert could only place fourth in the 100y and second in the 220y, again behind Mathews.

She set a world record at 440 yards, which was broken in September 1959 by Maria Itkina of the Soviet Union.

[14] In the lead-up to the 1960 Summer Olympics, in Rome, Cuthbert set a world 220 yards and 200 metres record of 23.2 seconds in winning the Australian championships.

[15] She is the only Olympian, male or female, to have won a gold medal in all sprint (running) events: 100, 200 and 400 metres.

"[22] Following her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, Cuthbert became a dedicated advocate for the disease and was an important player in the creation of MS Research Australia, attending the organisation's 2004 inauguration alongside then-PM John Howard.

[29] Rhonda Gillam, a 78-year-old West Australian mother-of-three, devoted the last 26 years of her life to caring for Cuthbert.

[35] Several hundred were present, including Margaret Court, Raelene Boyle, and Marjorie Jackson.

[36] Her twin sister, Midge, lit a candle of remembrance; and niece and nephew, Louise and Peter, also gave speeches.

[38] Tributes were led by broadcaster Alan Jones and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.