John Thomas Rimmer (27 April 1878 – 6 June 1962) was a British

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

, winner of two gold medals at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...

. Rimmer won the

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the officia ...

in in 1900. He was born in Birkdale, Merseyside. With two, he jointly held the record for the most Olympic titles in athletics by a British athlete.

Biography

At the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

, Rimmer at first participated in the 1500 metres competition, where he finished between seventh and ninth place. On the next day, Rimmer won the gruelling 4000 m steeplechase, beating teammate Charles Bennett by one and half yards. Together with Bennett, Alfred Tysoe, Sidney Robinson and

Stan Rowley Stanley Rupert Rowley (11 September 1876 – 1 April 1924) was an Australian sprinter who won four medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was born in Young, New South Wales and died in Manly, New South Wales. Biography In 1900 he ...

, Rimmer won a second Olympic title in 5000 m team race, finishing second behind Bennett. As well as his AAA 4-mile win in 1900, he also came third three years in succession in the 10-mile race from 1899 to 1901. Rimmer also won the 1899 District cross-country event running as a member of Liverpool Harriers AC before joining Southport Harriers, he was unable to defend the title due to the club being outside the District, but he did win the title again in 1909 when running for Sefton Harriers, for whom he became president in 1951 till his death. Rimmer joined the Liverpool City Police in 1901 and retired as sergeant 30 years later. He continued to run until he was well over the 50 years of age. John Rimmer died in Anfield,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, aged 84. He was proclaimed the "Fastest White Guy in Europe in 1900" on 13 April 2009 as part of the Europe Athletic Association (EAA) awards.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rimmer, John 1878 births 1962 deaths People from Ormskirk British male steeplechase runners English male steeplechase runners English male middle-distance runners English male long-distance runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1900 Summer Olympics English Olympic medallists Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)