Godfrey Lionel Rampling (14 May 1909 – 20 June 2009) was an
English
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* English people
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Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
athlete and
army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
officer who competed for
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
in the
1932 Summer Olympics and in the
1936 Summer Olympics. He
turned 100 on 14 May 2009 and was the oldest living British Olympian at the time of his death.
Life and career
Rampling was born in
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich, London, Greenwich and southeast of Charing Cross, ...
, the son of Gertrude Anne (Taylor) and Horace Johnson Rampling, a costumier. Rampling won the British
AAA
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Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
championships in the in 1931 and 1934.
At the
1932 Summer Olympics, Rampling was fourth in his semifinal in the
individual 400 metre event and didn't reach the final, but ran the anchor leg to help the British 4 × 400 m
relay
A relay
Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts
An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off
A relay is an electrically operated switch ...
team win the silver medal, behind the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
At the
1934 British Empire Games
The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events we ...
in London, Rampling won the , and helped the English 4×440 yards relay team to capture the gold medal.
At the 1936
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
Olympics, Rampling was again fourth in the semifinals of
400 metre competition and ran the second leg on the British 4 × 400 m relay team which won the gold medal.
Rampling was a
Lieutenant Colonel in the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
, attached to
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, until retiring in 1958 after 29 years service.
[Oldest British Olympian turns 100]
/ref>
He married Isabel Anne (née Gurteen; 1918–2001); their daughter Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
became a noted model and film actress. He was, as of October 2007, the last surviving male athletics medallist from the 1932 Summer Olympics and the last male gold medallist in athletics from the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Rampling was Britain's oldest living Olympic Gold medallist[ and also oldest living Olympic competitor. He celebrated his centenary with his family on 14 May 2009 at ]Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It has a population of over 25,000 inhabitants. Bushey Heath is a large neighbourhood south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow ...
in Hertfordshire.[
Rampling died in his sleep aged 100 on 20 June 2009.Telegraph.co.uk.: Britain's oldest Olympian Godfrey Rampling dies aged 100]
/ref>
References
External links
*
*
Godfrey Rampling
– Guardian obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rampling, Godfrey
1909 births
2009 deaths
Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England
Men centenarians
English centenarians
English male sprinters
Olympic athletes of Great Britain
English Olympic medallists
Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
Athletes from London
People from Blackheath, London
Royal Artillery officers
Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
British Army personnel of World War II