Douglas Gordon Arthur Lowe (7 August 1902 – 30 March 1981) was a British double

Olympic Games 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 vari ...

champion, winning gold medals in 1924 and 1928. On both occasions he set British 800-metres records of 1:52.4 and 1:51.8 respectively, the latter also being an Olympic record.

Biography

Born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, Douglas Lowe first attended Harrow but moved at the age of 14 to Highgate School, where unusually he was made

Head Boy Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Aus ...

for two years before leaving in July 1921. An all-round school sportsman, he excelled as a middle distance runner, winning the Public Schools' 880 yd (805 m) title in 1920. Later, at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he studied law, he played football and won the 880 yd (805 m) against

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1922 and 1923, and both the mile (1609 m) and the quarter-mile (402 m) race against them in 1924. In the 1924 Summer Olympics in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

, Lowe won the 800 metres gold medal in a new European record time of 1:52.4. He beat the fellow Cambridge runner H. B. Stallard, who had been considered the pre-race favourite. Stallard suffered a leg injury and could only finish fourth. Lowe also came fourth in the 1,500 metres in a time of 3:57.0. Lowe was defeated in a famous 880 yards race with Germany's

Otto Peltzer Otto Paul Eberhard Peltzer (8 March 1900 – 11 August 1970) was a German middle distance runner who set world records in the 1920s. Over the 800 m Peltzer improved Ted Meredith's long-standing record by 0.3 seconds to 1:51.6 min in London in ...

at the 1926 AAA Championships. Peltzer won by three yards in a time of 1:51.6 with Lowe (untimed but estimated at 1:52.0) also inside the world record of 1:52.2. Lowe was a British champion in 440 yd (402 m) and 880 yd (805 m) in 1927 and 1928. At the Amsterdam Olympics Lowe won the 800 metres in a personal best performance of 1:51.8, a full second and eight yards ahead of a world class field. He also anchored the British 4×400 metres relay team that finished 5th. Lowe set a world record of 1:10.6 for 600 yards in 1926, a distance then recognized by the IAAF for record purposes. His other personal bests included: 440 yards – 48.8 (1927); 800 metres – 1:51.2 (1928); 1,500 metres – 3:57.0 (1924); 1 mile – 4:21.0 (1925). Lowe retired from athletics at the end of the 1928 season but played 9 times for Isthmian League side Casuals FC in the 1928/29 season including in two friendlies against Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He also took up law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

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, where he was elected a

Bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...

in 1955. First elected to the

Bar Council {{see also, Bar association A bar council ( ga, Comhairle an Bharra) or bar association, in a common law jurisdiction with a legal profession split between solicitors and barristers or advocates, is a professional body that regulates the profes ...

in 1958, he was President from 1961 to 1964. He was appointed QC in 1964, and was made Recorder of Lincoln in the same year. He was a Governor of Highgate School from 1939 to 1975. He was Chairman of the Universities Athletic Union from 1928 to 1936, Honorary Secretary of the Amateur Athletic Association from 1931 to 1938, a Council member of the

British Olympic Association The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both ...

in 1928–38 and an IAAF representative in 1931–40. Prior to the making of the film ''

Chariots of Fire ''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...

'', Lowe's support was sought, but declined. In consequence, the fictional character of Lindsay was created in his stead. Chapman, James (2005)
"The British Are Coming: ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981)"
In: ''Past and Present: National Identity and the British Historical Film''. London: I.B. Tauris & Co, pp. 275, 295.

References

Sources

* Quercentani, Roberto & Kok, Nejat (1992): Wizards of the Middle Distances: A history of the 800 metres * Watman, Mel (1981): Encyclopedia of Track and Field Athletics * Peter Matthews & Ian Buchanan (1995): All-Time Greats of British & Irish Sport * Wallechinsky, David (2000): The Complete Book of the Olympics * Lowe, DGA and Porritt, AE (Longmans Green, 1929) : Athletics * Lowe, DGA (Pitman, 1936): Track and Field Athletics {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Douglas 1902 births 1981 deaths English male middle-distance runners Sportspeople from Manchester Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge People educated at Highgate School English Olympic medallists Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain English barristers 20th-century English judges Members of the Inner Temple Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics 20th-century British lawyers Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Recorder (judge)