Tessa Sanderson Tessa Sanderson Theresa Ione "Tessa" Sanderson, (born 14 March 1956) is an English former javelin thrower and heptathlete. A six-time Olympian in the javelin (1976–1996), she won the gold medal in 1984 for Great Britain, and in 1996 she became the second track and field athlete, after discus thrower Lia Manoliu, to compete at six Olympics. She is one of only five women in history to have thrown the javelin (old model) over 73 metres. She is the first black British woman to have won an Olympic gold medal. Sanderson was born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica of Ghanaian ancestry. She
Tessa Sanderson Sanderson Foundation and Academy. The charity is helping Sanderson to work on a wider basis to help other youngsters who are disabled and non disabled achieve their goals and creating a pathway and more opportunities not just in Newham but the wider areas of London and with a vision of a national roll out. In April 2009 Sanderson again because of her work in the community made history again by organising the first 10K road run to run through the Olympic Park offering the community and other visitors to Newham the Host Borough of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic