Harold A. Wilson (athlete)
 Harold Wilson at the 1908 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 January 1885 Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 17 May 1932 (aged 47)[1] South Africa |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
| Weight | 8 st 3 lb (52 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | 800-5,000 m |
| Club | Hallamshire Harriers, Sheffield |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800 m – 1:57.2 (1904) 1500 m – 3:59.8 (1908) 5000 m – 15:32.5 (1908)[2][3] |
Medal record | |
Harold Allan Wilson (22 January 1885 – 17 May 1932) was an English runner. Born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, he was a member of the Hallamshire Harriers in Sheffield. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and won a team gold in the 3 mile and an individual silver in the 1500 metres race. He was the first man to run a sub four minute 1,500 metres, with a time of 3:59.8 in May 1908.[2][3][4]
Wilson became the National 1 mile champion after winning the AAA Championships title at the 1908 AAA Championships.[5][6]
At the 1908 Olympics, Wilson won his 1500 m semi-final in a time of 4:11.4; his time in the final was 4:03.6, fractions of a second behind Melvin Sheppard.[7] He was also part of Britain's five-man gold medal-winning team in the three-mile race. He was Britain's fourth man home in fifth place overall. His teammates were Archie Robertson, Norman Hallows, Joe Deakin and William Coales.[2]
The following year, Wilson was in Queens, New York, competing alongside Sheppard. He spent the 1909 season in the U.S. and was considered one of the best mile runners. The same year, he turned professional and raced in Australia and South Africa. On 29 November 1915, he enlisted as a Private in the West Yorkshire Regiment, serving overseas during World War I.[2] He later emigrated to South Africa, where he died in 1932 aged 47.[8]
References
- ^ Harold A. Wilson at Olympedia
- ^ a b c d Harold Wilson. sports-reference.com
- ^ a b Harold Wilson. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ The Late Harold Wilson, Star Green 'un, June 11, 1932
- ^ "AAA Championships". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 6 July 1908. Retrieved 25 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ 1910 Hassan Cigarettes trading card.
- ^ Death of Harold Wilson, Sheffield Daily Telegraph, June 7, 1932
Further reading
- Cook, Theodore Andrea (May 1909). The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report (PDF). London: British Olympic Association. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
- De Wael, Herman (2001). "Athletics 1908". Herman's Full Olympians. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
- Wudarski, Pawel (1999). "Wyniki Igrzysk Olimpijskich" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2006.
External links
- 1885 births
- 1932 deaths
- British Army personnel of World War I
- Military personnel from Lincolnshire
- West Yorkshire Regiment soldiers
- British male middle-distance runners
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes for Great Britain
- Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
- Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
- People from Horncastle, Lincolnshire
- Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Sportspeople from Lincolnshire
- English male middle-distance runners
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