Photos of Hurdle Athlete Wendy Jeal (aka “the Woman With the Steel Legs”) Training for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games

Wendy Jeal (born November 21, 1960) is a female English former track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters hurdles. She represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games. In 1986, representing England, she won a Commonwealth Games silver medal.

As a 17-year-old, she won her first senior national championships medal in 1978, with third at the AAAs indoor 60m hurdles. In 1982, she was second at the UK National Championships in the 100 meters hurdles. In 1985, now competing as Wendy Jeal and after several years on the edge of major championships selection, she competed in the 60m hurdles at the IAAF World Indoor Games in Paris. She ran 8.34 secs to reach the semi-finals. Also in 1985, Jeal finished second behind Glynis Nunn in the 100 meters hurdles event at the 1985 WAAA Championships.

Jeal had the best year of her career in 1986. She finished third at both the UK National Championships and AAA Championships, behind Sally Gunnell and Lesley-Ann Skeete, and ahead of 1984 Olympic silver medallist Shirley Strong. She earned selection for both the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. The Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh proved to be the highlight of her career, as she won the silver medal for England in Edinburgh, Scotland, in a time of 13.41, behind Sally Gunnell and ahead of Glynis Nunn and Julie Rocheleau. At the European Championships in Stuttgart, she ran her lifetime best of 13.16 in the heats, to reach the semi-finals.

In 1987, Jeal finished third behind Lesley-Ann Skeete and Kim Hagger at the UK Championships and third at the AAAs Championships behind Sally Gunnell and Skeete, earning selection for the World Championships in Rome, where she was eliminated in the heats, running 13.44. At the 1988 AAAs Championships, incorporating the Olympic trials, Jeal once again finished third behind Sally Gunnell and Lesley-Ann Skeete, earning Olympic selection. At the Seoul Olympics, she reached the quarter-finals, running 13.32.

Throughout her career, Jeal finished second or third at senior national championships fourteen times, without winning. Her last top three result, was finishing third at the 1990 UK Championships.

Here are some amazing photographs of Wendy Jeal training hard for the 1988 Seoul Olympic games. She was using the new gym machines to hit legs in preparations. Nicknamed “the girl with the steel legs” for her insane leg development (at the time).