Henry Edward Kerr (28 January 1879 – 17 May 1951) was a New Zealand athlete who competed mainly in

walking events Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

. He competed for Australasia in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

held in London in the 3500 metre walk where he won the bronze medal. This was the first time a New Zealand-born person had won an Olympic medal.Harry Kerr
. New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Biography

Kerr was born in

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

and was a champion

shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, Bow and arrow, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or Blowgun, blowpipe). Even the acts of launching Flamethrower, flame, artillery, Dart (missile), darts, ha ...

and keen

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

player, as well as competing in a variety of

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

events. Competing for a time as a professional he was required to stand down from competition for two years in order to regain his amateur status. After winning numerous national titles Kerr virtually retired in 1912 and briefly served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in mid-1918, but returned to win two more national titles in 1925 at the age of 46. Kerr was inducted into the

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall o ...

in 1996. On 13 July 2008 to commemorate the first Olympic Games medal by a New Zealander (actually on 14 July 1908) the Harry Kerr Centennial Walking Relay was held at Sovereign Stadium,

Mairangi Bay Mairangi Bay is a coastal suburb of North Shore, Auckland, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, on the south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. Mairangi Bay came under the local governance ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. Two events were held, a 5×10 km relay and a 3500 m individual event. A shield for the winning team was presented by Kerr's daughter-in-law.First Olympic medal celebrated
North Shore Times. 10 July 2008Picture of Rose Sheat, Kerr's daughter-in-law, with Shield
newspix.nzherald.co.nz. 12 July 2008 It is proposed that this will be an annual event. Kerr's great-grandson is New Zealand film director and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player

Winston Cowie Winston Cowie is a Marine conservationist, author and film director. He is the Manager of Marine Policy at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He is a film director of nature documentaries, New Zealand author of discovery his ...

References

External links

*
Biography at New Zealand Olympic Committee website

Harry Kerr Centennial Relay on Racewalking Auckland website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Harry 1879 births 1951 deaths New Zealand male racewalkers Olympic bronze medalists for Australasia Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Australasia Deaths from cancer in New Zealand People from Inglewood, New Zealand Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) New Zealand military personnel of World War I