A few days after her 16th birthday at the NSW Championships, she ran a great race at the New South Wales Championships 100 yards final, placing second to world record-holder Marjorie Jackson and beating four members of the Australian Empire Games team, including Olympic medalist Strickland [REF].
Mathews was considered a certainty to gain selection to the 1952 Summer Olympics before a leg injury forced her out of competition [REF].