Leslie Alphonso "Les" Laing (19 February 1925 – 7 February 2021) was a Jamaican

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 ...

and a winner of gold medal in 4 × 400 m relay 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 ...

Biography

Born in

Linstead Linstead is a town in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica in the West Indies. In 1991 its population was 14,144. It is located 12 mi/19 km NNW of Spanish Town. Description Close to Ewarton and Windalco Ewarton works, a large alumin ...

, Jamaica, Laing previously competed in the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

, where he finished sixth in 200 m and was eliminated in the heats of 100 m. He probably missed a medal when Arthur Wint pulled a muscle in the 4 × 400 m relay final. At the Helsinki

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 ...

, Laing was fifth in the 200 m and ran the second leg in the Jamaican 4 × 400 m relay team, which won the gold medal with a new world record of 3:03.9. In 2005 he was inducted into the Central American and Caribbean Confederation Hall of Fame. He died twelve days short of his 96th birthday.

Competition record

References

External links

* * 1925 births 2021 deaths People from Saint Catherine Parish Jamaican male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Jamaica Olympic gold medalists for Jamaica Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Jamaica Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Jamaica Competitors at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics 20th-century Jamaican people 21st-century Jamaican people {{Jamaica-Olympic-medalist-stub