Ken Matthews (race walker)
 Matthews at the 1964 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 21 June 1934 Birmingham, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2 June 2019 (aged 84) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Race walking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Royal Sutton Coldfield Walking Club | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 42:35.6 (10 km, 1960) 1.28:15 (20 km, 1960) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kenneth Joseph Matthews,
race walker
, who won the Olympic (1964) and European (1962) titles in the 20 km walk.
From 1957 Matthews worked as an electrician at a local
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) soon afterwards in recognition of his achievement. Following a public outcry, he belatedly received the honours, for services to race walking, in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours.[2][3][4]
Matthews also won the European title in 1962Lugano Trophy (1961 and 1963).[2]
In 2007, he was the guest of honour at Hawarden High School for the Year 11 Record Of Achievement.[citation needed] In 2011, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.[5]
He died on 2 June 2019, aged 84. An inquest concluded in early January 2020 that his death was the result of an unknown allergic reaction.[6]
References
- ^ Olympic champion race walker Ken Matthews dies
- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ken Matthews". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b Sam Knight (9 June 2012) Kenneth Matthews, Great Britain. FT Magazine.
- ^ United Kingdom: "No. 47234". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1977. p. 7097.
- ^ "2011 Hall of Fame Inductees". England Athletics. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Olympian Ken Matthews died after 'unknown' allergic reaction". BBC News. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ken Matthews.
- Ken Matthews at UK Athletics
- Ken Matthews at the European Athletic Association
- Kenneth Joseph Matthews at Olympics.com
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European Athletics Championships champions in men's 20 kilometres race walk | |
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