Thelma Kench later Irion (19 February 1914 – 25 March 1985) was a New Zealand sprinter who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Kench, trained by her father,[3] competed in the 100 m and held the national title in 1930–1932.

Her time equalled the world record, and she was at 16 the youngest to hold the title.

[6] In the Olympic semifinals of the 100 m race in Los Angeles she was third after 50 m but dropped back to sixth.

[1][8] After the Olympics, she gained weight, which was also commented upon by the press,[9] and retired from track competition in 1933, at age 19.