Lisa Martin

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Women's Athletics
Olympic medal record
Silver	Seoul 1988	Marathon

Lisa Martin (born May 12, 1960) is a retired Australian long-distance runner. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul the 28-year-old won a silver medal in marathon, only 13 seconds behind Portuguese running star Rosa Mota. Other achievements include gold medals in marathon at the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games.

In 1984, Martin participated in the inaugural Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles, California not as a favourite but as an entrant, finishing 7th in her first sub 2:30 time of 2:29:03. This spurred her on to the Chicago Marathon where she brought her personal best down to 2:27:40, again behind a rampant Joan Benoit, victor at LA.

The following year, saw Lisa and Ken Martin partake in the Pittsburgh Marathon. As Mrs Martin – Lisa with then husband – went on to create the fastest married couple in history when they both had wins in the their category divisions, with Ken winning in 2:12:57 and Lisa in 2:31:54. This placed them as the King and Queen of Road, a combined time which is yet to be beaten, with a couple winning in the same race.

In 1986, Martin participated in the inaugural women's marathon at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, again lowering her PB with another sub 2:30 performance of 2:26:07. This event took place in August and in November of the same year she again 'toed the line', this time at the New York City Marathon, where she would finish 2nd in a time of 2:29:12.

1987 was to be a 'not so successful year', with her marriage to Ken Martin ending late in that year, as well as a DNF at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, Italy to boot. Martin bounced back from the disappointment of '87 with a win at the Osaka Marathon in Japan, the end January 1988. Her time of 2:23:51 would be her career best and with it the recognition of the World's fastest time for a women only event on an out and back course, this course record would stand for eleven years, before being broken by Romania's Lidia Simon with a time of 2:23:24 in 1989.

With 1988, being an Olympic year Martin went into the games as 2nd favourite, with Rosa Mota installed as the one to beat. In the heat of Seoul, South Korea and despite stomach problems the gritty Australian placed 2nd in an excellent 2:25:53.

1988 was to prove to be Martin's year and she had to wait till 1990 to approach the sub 2:25 barrier again, after winning the Commonwealth Games marathon in Auckland, New Zealand, as defending champion, with a time of 2:25:28 which is still the Game's record. In 1990 she gave birth to her daughter Emma. She was now known as Lisa Ondieki, married to Kenya's Yobes Ondieki, the first runner under 27 minutes for 10.000m.

1991 saw her return to New York, for another unsuccessful attempt at the title, finishing 3rd in a time of 2:28:53 behind her Scottish rival, Liz McColgan who won in a time of 2:27:23. This left a bitter taste and after a DNF in the 1992 Summer Olympics, when favoured to win, she returned to New York with a vengeance. With her running of 2:24:40 at New York the end of 1992, she obliterated the field and set a new course record which would stand for nine years.

The silver medalist from 1988 would return to the Olympic Marathon on one last occasion at the 1996 Summer Olympics, however this was not to be and when looking back on Martin;s most successful runs.