Bill Nankeville
Medal record | ||
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Men's athletics
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Representing Great Britain | ||
European Championships | ||
1950 Brussels | 1500 m |
George William Nankeville (24 March 1925 – 8 January 2021) was a British
Biography
Nankeville was born on 24 March 1925 to a working class background and his father was a milkman.[2] Nankeville was a natural runner and early on didn't have any coaching but he still raced before joining an athletics club.[3] In 1944, during World War II, he joined the army having made parachute containers and petrol tanks in Woking for three years prior. He served in Brussels, Belgium, Hamburg, Germany and took part in the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.[4]
Following the war, Nankeville won the first of four AAA mile title in 1948[4] and he later represented Great Britain at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom.[3] He competed in the 1500 metres event and finished sixth.[5] Two years later, he finished third in the 1500 metres event at the 1950 European Athletics Championships in Brussels.[4]
In 1952, Nankeville won another AAA mile title at the
Alongside his athletic endeavours, Nankeville worked for a sports equipment manufacturer, as well as being a wholesaler and owner of three discount stores.[2] Nankeville recorded the events leading to Roger Bannister's historic sub-four-minute mile in his book The Miracle of the Mile, published in 1956. He was married to Janet (d. 2010) for 63 years,[2] and was the father of television impressionist Bobby Davro.[7] He died in January 2021 at the age of 95.[8]
References
- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bill Nankeville". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ a b c Best & Worst: Bill Nankeville
- ^ a b McElwee, Molly (25 July 2020). "The 1948 Olympians: Dorothy Parlett and Bill Nankeville reflect on their London Olympics experience". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d Henderson, Jason (9 January 2021). "Legendary miler Bill Nankeville dies". athleticsweekly.com. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ "Bill Nankeville". olympedia.org. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ British World Record Breakers
- ^ "BBC - EastEnders - Characters & Cast - Bobby Davro". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
- ^ Bobby Davro's father has died
External links
- Bill Nankeville at Olympedia
- Bill Nankeville at Team GB