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Great Britain At The 1956 Summer Olympics
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. British athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games. 189 competitors, 163 men and 26 women, took part in 108 events in 17 sports. The Melbourne Games saw an improvement on Great Britain and Northern Ireland's performance at the two preceding Games. British athletes won six gold medals (up from just one in 1952). Overall, they won twenty-four medals, finishing eighth. Medallists Gold *Chris Brasher — Athletics, Men's 3.000m Steeplechase *Terence Spinks — Boxing, Men's Flyweight *Richard McTaggart — Boxing, Men's Lightweight *Bertie Hill, Arthur Rook, and Francis Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Team *Gillian Sheen — Fencing, Women's Foil Individual *Judy Grinham — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke Silver * Derek Johnson — Athletics, Men's 800m *Gordon Pirie — Athletics, Men's 5.000m * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both the summer and winter Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games, the European Youth Olympic Festivals, and at the European Games. BOA members and sporting bodies The British Olympic Association – of the United Kingdom, its constituent countries, the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories which do not have their own NOC – competes at all summer, winter and youth Olympics as Great Britain ("Team GB"). Members The association comprises members from the following – * ** ** ** ** Note – Northern Irish athletes can choose whether to compete for Great Britain or for the Republic of Ireland, as they are entitled to citizenship of either nation under the Good Friday Agreement. Crown Dependencies: * * * British Overse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that results in directional motion. Humans can hold their breath underwater and undertake rudimentary locomotive swimming within weeks of birth, as a survival response. Swimming is consistently among the top public recreational activities, and in some countries, swimming lessons are a compulsory part of the educational curriculum. As a formalized sport, swimming is featured in a range of local, national, and international competitions, including every modern Summer Olympics. Swimming involves repeated motions known as strokes in order to propel the body forward. While the front crawl, also known as freestyle, is widely regarded as the fastest out of four primary strokes, other strokes are practiced for special purposes, such as for training. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gordon Pirie
Douglas Alistair Gordon Pirie (10 February 1931 – 7 December 1991) was an English long-distance runner. He competed in the 5000 m and 10,000 m events at the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics and won a silver medal in the 5000 m in 1956, placing fourth in 1952. Born in Leeds, Pirie grew up in Coulsdon, Surrey, and ran for the South London Harriers. He died of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in Lymington, Hampshire. Biography Early career In 1955 Pirie won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. During that year he had beaten Emil Zátopek the triple gold medallist in distance running at the 1952 Olympics. Pirie was an exceptional cross-country runner, winning the English Championship three times. Pirie broke five world records in the course of his career, his annus mirabilis being 1956, when on 19 June in Bergen, Norway, he ran 13:36.8 for 5,000 m, beating Vladimir Kuts (USSR), and knocking 25 seconds from his own personal best. On 22 June in Trondheim, Norway, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derek Johnson (athlete)
Derek James Neville Johnson (5 January 1933 – 30 August 2004) was a British track and field athlete. Early life Johnson was born in (East Ham) ondon and educated at East Ham Grammar School. He did his National Service in Egypt before going up to Lincoln College, Oxford, to read medicine in 1953. Whilst at Oxford. Athletics career He pursued an athletics career and represented England in the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, he won gold medals both in the 880 yards and the 4 x 440 yards relay. Johnson went on to win a silver medal in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, in the 800 metres and a bronze in the 4 x 400 metres relay. In 1958 he won a silver medal in the 4 x 440 yards relay in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judy Grinham
Judith Brenda Grinham (born 5 March 1939), also known by her married name Judith Roe or also by her former married name Judith Rowley, is an English former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships, and competed for England in the Commonwealth Games. Grinham is an Olympic gold medallist, Commonwealth and European champion, and former world record-holder. In 1956 and 1958 she was chosen as Great Britain's Sportswoman of the Year. In 1958 she became the first woman in any sport to hold/win Olympic, European and Commonwealth titles. Early life Grinham was born in the London suburb of Hampstead and grew up in Neasden. She studied at the Convent of Jesus & Mary, Harlesden, London NW10. Personal life She married Pat Rowley in Neasden in 1960, in St. Catherine's Church. They had two children, Keith (born in June 1961) and Alison (born in December 1962). In 1977 she divorced and remarried Michael Roe in 1979, (who had 4 children). S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gillian Sheen
Gillian Mary Donaldson (née Sheen; 21 August 1928 – 5 July 2021) was a British fencer and Olympic champion in foil competition. She won a gold medal in the women's individual foil event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. She also competed at the 1952 and 1960 Summer Olympics. Fencing career Sheen first took up the sport while studying at North Forland School in Kent, and won the schoolgirls title in 1945. In 1947, she took the Junior Championships and went to University College Hospital in London to become a dental surgeon. In 1949, she won her first senior national title and took the British Universities title for five consecutive years. In 1951, she won a gold medal at the World Universities Championships. Sheen participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics but was eliminated in the second round. She went back to the Olympics in 1956 and took the gold medal for Great Britain. She won with a classic technique in a period when advancing athleticism was changing the sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis Weldon
Francis William Weldon MVO MBE MC (2 August 1913 – 21 September 1993) was a British equestrian and Olympic champion. He won a team gold medal in ''eventing'' at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, and received an individual bronze medal. He became European champion in 1953, 1954 and 1955. Weldon was a lieutenant colonel in the British Army and was Officer Commanding, the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. (Although the cavalry link .... References External links * 1913 births 1993 deaths Royal Horse Artillery officers Olympic equestrians for Great Britain British male equestrians Equestrians at the 1956 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic bronze m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Rook
Arthur Rook may refer to: * Arthur Rook (equestrian) (1921–1989), English equestrian and Olympic champion * Arthur Rook (dermatologist) (1918–1991), British dermatologist and author See also * Arthur Rooke (fl. 1910s–1920s), British actor and film director {{hndis, Rook, Arthur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bertie Hill
Albert "Bertie" Edwin Hill (7 February 1927 – 5 August 2005) was a British equestrian who competed at three Olympic Games. After serving in the Home Guard during the Second World War, Hill became an amateur jockey in point-to-point racing. He went on to represent Britain in three-day eventing, winning a gold medal at the 1956 games in Stockholm along with a host of other international trophies. In the 1960s, Hill and his wife opened a riding school at Rapscott on Exmoor, training a number of future international riders including Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips Captain Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (born 22 September 1948) is an English Olympic gold medal-winning horseman for Great Britain and the first husband of Anne, Princess Royal, with whom he has two children. He remains a leading figure in Britis .... References External links Obituary of Bertie Hill, Daily Telegraph Newspaper, 30 August 2005 1927 births 2005 deaths Olympic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard McTaggart
Richard McTaggart, MBE (born 15 October 1935) is a Scottish retired amateur boxer. He competed in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics in the lightweight division and won a gold and a bronze medal, respectively. In 1956 he received the Val Barker Trophy for best boxing style at the Olympics. At the 1964 Olympics McTaggart moved to the light-welterweight category, but lost in the third bout to the eventual winner Jerzy Kulej. McTaggart won the British ABA title in 1956, 1958, 1960, 1963 and 1965,Dick McTaggart sports-reference.com and retired with a record of 610 wins out of 634 bouts.Dick McTaggart sshf.co.uk McTaggart w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terence Spinks
Terence "Terry" George Spinks MBE (28 February 1938 – 26 April 2012) was a boxer from Great Britain, who won the gold medal in the flyweight division (– 51 kg) at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. In the final he defeated Mircea Dobrescu of Romania on points. He was also British featherweight champion from 1960 to 1961. Amateur career Spinks had 200 amateur fights, and was the 1956 ABA flyweight champion. 1956 Olympic results *Round of 32: Defeated Samuel Harris (Pakistan) on points *Round of 16: Defeated Abel Laudonio (Argentina) on points *Quarterfinal: Defeated Vladimir Stolnikov (Soviet Union) on points *Semifinal: Defeated René Libeer (France) on points *Final: Defeated Mircea Dobrescu (Romania) on points (won gold medal) Pro career Spinks had 49 professional bouts of which he won 41. He had his first professional bout in April 1957, against Jim Loughrey, at Harringay Arena, winning on a stoppage for a cut eye. In September 1960 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Brasher
Christopher William Brasher CBE (21 August 1928 – 28 February 2003) was a British track and field athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon. Early life and education Born in Georgetown, British Guiana, Brasher went to Rugby School and then St John's College, Cambridge, where he read geology. He was a keen mountaineer, and as a student was President of the Cambridge University Mountaineering Club, and in 1948 led an expedition to Baffin Island with W A Deer. Sporting career On 6 May 1954, he acted as pacemaker for Roger Bannister when the latter ran the first sub-four-minute mile at Iffley Road Stadium in Oxford. Brasher paced Bannister for the first two laps, while his friend Chris Chataway paced the third. Two years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Brasher finished first in the 3,000 metres steeplechase with a time of 8 minutes 41.2 seconds, but was disqualified for allegedly interfering with another runner, Ernst Larsen of Norway. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
