At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she won a bronze medal in the first 400 metres race for females, only beaten by countrywoman Betty Cuthbert (gold) and Brit Ann Packer (silver).

She made a comeback in 1971, running some of her best times ever to make the team for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

She was track and field team captain at Munich, but was unable to compete because of injuries and retired soon after the Games, again for family reasons.

[citation needed] At the age of 36, she became the oldest Australian female Olympian at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec.

Running in the 800 metres, she just missed the final, clocking her fastest ever time of 1:59.93 for fifth in her semi-final.