George Newton (13 August 1936 – 23 February 2016) was a male weightlifter who competed for England and Great Britain, and then for New Zealand at the end of his career.

Weightlifting career

He represented England and won a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in 60 kg, at the

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth. The ...

in Perth, Western Australia. Four years later he stepped up in weight to the -67.5 kg category and went on to win a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

and two consecutive gold medals, at the

1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica, from 4 to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions. They were followed by the 1966 Commonwealth P ...

in Kingston, Jamaica, the

1970 British Commonwealth Games The 1970 British Commonwealth Games (Scottish Gaelic: Geamannan a 'Cho-fhlaitheis Bhreatainn 1970) were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first tim ...

in Edinburgh, Scotland and the

1974 British Commonwealth Games The 1974 British Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1974 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The Games were off ...

in Christchurch, New Zealand. He trained out of the Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club and represented Great Britain at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

and the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. After his fourth Commonwealth Games appearance he remained in New Zealand and represented them in the

1978 Commonwealth Games The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta from 3 to 12 August 1978, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with apar ...

at the age of 42.

Personal life

He was an electrician by trade.

References

1936 births 2016 deaths English male weightlifters New Zealand male weightlifters Commonwealth Games medallists in weightlifting Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Weightlifters at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Weightlifters at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Weightlifters at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Weightlifters at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Weightlifters at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Weightlifters at the 1972 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic weightlifters for Great Britain Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games {{NewZealand-weightlifting-bio-stub