Don Thompson (racewalker)
 John Ljunggren, Don Thompson and Abdon Pamich at the 1960 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 20 January 1933 Hillingdon, London, Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 3 October 2006 (aged 73) Frimley, Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 55 kg (121 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Race walking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Metropolitan WC, London | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Donald James Thompson
1962 European Championships, also for the 50 km walk.[3]
Thompson was born in
Achilles' tendon forced him to take up race walking instead. He came second in the 52½ miles London to Brighton road race in 1954, and then won the event in each of the following eight years. He raced in the 50 km walk in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, but withdrew dehydrated after 45 km while in fifth place.[2]
He practised to compete at the
Sportsman of the Year in 1960 by the Sports Writers' Association
.
He won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1962, and was tenth at the
collarbone during a marathon walk in Thanet; undeterred, he completed the race before seeking treatment. He represented Britain in a race in France in 1991, aged 58 years and 89 days, becoming the oldest person to represent Britain in an international athletics event.[2]
Outside athletics, he worked as an insurance clerk, a gardener and as a teacher (at Southland's School, New Romney). He was appointed a
brain aneurysm
. He married in 1967, and was survived by his wife, and their son and daughter.
References
- ^ "Obituaries: Don Thompson". independent.co.uk.
- ^ a b c d Simon Burnton (12 June 2012). "50 stunning Olympic moments No38: Don Thompson takes walking gold". The Guardian.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Don Thompson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ United Kingdom list: "No. 44999". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1969. p. 18.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Don Thompson (athlete).
- racewalkingrecord.com, 5 October 2006
- Olympic 50km walking champion Thompson dies, The Guardian, 6 October 2006
- Obituary, The Times, 10 October 2006
- Obituary, The Scotsman, 11 October 2006
- Obituary, Sports Journalists' Association News, 6 October 2006
- Obituary, The Guardian, 24 October 2006
- Fond Memories of Don Thompson, Track Stats, November 2009
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