Isabelle Daniels

Isabelle Frances Daniels (later Holston; July 31, 1937 – September 8, 2017) was an American sprinter.

Isabelle Daniels

Daniels (left) vs. Giuseppina Leone at the 1956 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Isabelle Frances Daniels
Born	July 31, 1937 Jakin, Georgia, U.S.
Died	September 8, 2017(2017-09-08) (aged 80)
Alma mater	Tennessee State University
Height	166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Sprint
Club	TSU Tigers, Nashville
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m – 11.6 (1956) 200 – 23.6 (1959)[1][2]
Medal record Representing  United States Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne 4×100 m relay Pan American Games 1955 Mexico City 4×100 m relay 1955 Mexico City 60 m 1959 Chicago 4×100 m relay 1959 Chicago 60 m 1959 Chicago 200 m

Daniels attended Tennessee State University, where she was part of their AAU champion relay team for 5 years. She took the silver in the 60 meters at the 1955 Pan American Games and was on the winning relay team. She competed for the United States in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia, where she won the bronze medal in the 4×100 metres with her teammates Mae Faggs, Margaret Matthews and Wilma Rudolph, in a race where all three teams beat the existing world record. She was initially placed third in the 100 meters, but was moved to fourth after photos of the finish were examined.[1]

In 1958 she participated in a goodwill tour over the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.[3] She worked for many years as a physical education teacher and coach in Georgia, where she received numerous awards, including 1990 National Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. In 1987 she was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.[4] In 1992 she was honored as the All-State Role Model; a documentary on her life was produced and broadcast in the halftime of the Georgia high school all-stars basketball game. She was also listed on a 1992 "Coaches Care Honor Roll" sponsored by Gatorade. In March 2006 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Bob Hayes Invitational Track Meet in Jacksonville, Florida.[3] Daniels died on September 8, 2017, at the age of 80.[5] She was married to Rev. Sidney R. Holston; the couple had four children.[3]