John Francis Treloar (19 January 192823 July 2012) was a

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 ...

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 ...

, who is considered to have been one of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

's greatest male sprinters. He was ranked as one of the world's fastest men between 1947 and 1952. A triple gold medallist at the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. The main venue was ...

, Treloar made the 100 m final at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

finishing sixth – just 0.1 s behind the winner – in the closest finish in Olympic history. In his career, Treloar won a total of six Australian championships at 100 or 220 yards. Treloar died on 23 July 2012. His son notified the

Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

of his father's death on 23 July; in this notification he stated that "Dad passed away exactly as he ran. Quickly."

Awards and other honours

In 2000, Treloar was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

for "(o)utstanding service as an Olympic athlete and since then as an administrator and event organiser." Treloar was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2001. In 2011, his old school,

North Sydney Boys High School North Sydney Boys High School (abbreviated as NSBHS) is a government-funded, single-sex, academically selective secondary day school for boys, located at Crows Nest, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In 2022, Nor ...

named their recently refurbished gymnasium in his honour."Team of the week" (Sport items), ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 10 December 2011, p 20, via factiva.com accessed 15 December 2011. Following Treloar's death, Prime Minister

Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...

and Minister for Sport

Kate Lundy Kate Alexandra Lundy (born 15 December 1967) is a former Labor Party member of the Australian Senate, representing the Australian Capital Territory. Lundy served as the Minister for Multicultural Affairs and the Minister Assisting for the Digi ...

issued a joint press release which stated that Treloar "will always be remembered as a remarkable trailblazer for athletics in this country". Treloar's funeral was later held at his old school, North Sydney Boys High School by request of his family.

Competition record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Treloar, John 1928 births 2012 deaths Australian male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Australia Sportsmen from New South Wales People educated at North Sydney Boys High School Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Place of birth missing Australian Freemasons Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games