Arthur Stanley Wint OD MBE (25 May 1920 – 19 October 1992) was a Jamaican

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) pilot during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, sprinter, physician, and later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Competing at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, whilst a medical student at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...

, London, he won two gold and two silver medals, becoming the first

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

n Olympic gold medalist.

Biography

Arthur Wint, known as the ''Gentle Giant'', was born in Plowden,

Manchester, Jamaica The Parish of Manchester is a parish located in west-central Jamaica, in the county of Middlesex. Its capital, Mandeville, is a major business centre. Its St. Paul of the Cross Pro-Cathedral is the episcopal see of the Latin Catholic Dioc ...

. While at Calabar High School, he ran sprints and did both the high jump and long jump. He later transferred to Excelsior High School, where he finished his secondary education. In 1937 he was the Jamaica Boy Athlete of the year, and the following year won a gold medal in the 800 metres at the

Central American Games The Central American Games ( es, Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos) are a multi-sport regional championships event, held quadrennial (every 4 years), typically in the first year after Summer Olympics. The Games are open for member federation ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. Saving the money for his flight to europe In 1942 he joined the

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New ...

and set the Canadian 400-metre record while training there. He was sent to

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for active combat during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as a pilot. He left the

in 1947 to study medicine at

, through the British further education and vocational training scheme for ex-servicemen. In the 1948 London Games, Wint won Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal for the 400 metres (46.2 seconds), beating his team-mate

Herb McKenley The Hon. Herbert Henry McKenley OM (10 July 1922 – 26 November 2007) was a Jamaican track and field sprinter. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, and won one gold and three silver medals. Born in Pleasant Vall ...

. In the 800 metres he won silver, after

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Mal Whitfield Malvin Greston Whitfield (October 11, 1924 – November 19, 2015) was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed "Marvelous Mal", he was the Olympic champion in the 800 meters at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, and a memb ...

's gold. Wint missed a probable third medal when he pulled a muscle in the 4 × 400 metres

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 ...

final. In

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in 1952 he was part of the historic team setting the world record while capturing the gold in the 4 × 400 metres relay. He also won silver in the 800 metres, again coming second to Mal Whitfield. Wint ran his final race in 1953 at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

, finished his internship, and graduated as a doctor. The following year he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in the 1954 New Year Honours.UK list: In 1955 Wint returned to Jamaica, eventually settling in

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as the only resident doctor in the parish. In 1973 he was awarded the Jamaica honour of the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') ...

. He served as Jamaica's High Commissioner to Britain and ambassador to Sweden and Denmark from 1974 to 1978. He was inducted in the Black Athlete's Hall of Fame in the US (1977), the Jamaica Sports Hall of Fame (1989) and the Central American & Caribbean Athletic Confederation Hall of Fame (2003).

Death and legacy

Wint died on Heroes Day in Linstead, aged 72. His funeral was attended by hundreds of people, including the Jamaican Prime Minister.Arthur Wint
wintworks.com In 2012, a Blue Heritage Plaque was unveiled at 22 Philbeach Avenue, London, where he lived while studying medicine. At the same event, his daughter launched her book about him, titled ''The Longer Run''.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wint, Arthur 1920 births 1992 deaths Jamaican male sprinters Jamaican male middle-distance runners Jamaican general practitioners Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital People from Manchester Parish High Commissioners of Jamaica to the United Kingdom Ambassadors of Jamaica to Sweden Ambassadors of Jamaica to Denmark Members of the Order of the British Empire Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Recipients of the Order of Distinction Olympic athletes of Jamaica Olympic gold medalists for Jamaica Olympic silver medalists for Jamaica Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Jamaica Competitors at the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games Competitors at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics People educated at Calabar High School

Biography

Death and legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links