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

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

, who is considered to have been one of Australia'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 were 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. A documentary fil ...

, Treloar made the 100 m final at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

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 The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is the National Olympic Committee responsible for developing, promoting, and protecting the Olympic Movement in Australia. The AOC has the exclusive responsibility for the representation of Australia at ...

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, off ...

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 Education in Australia#Government schools, government-funded, Single-sex school, single-sex, Selective school (New South Wales), academically selective secondary day school for boys, loc ...

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. She held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the ...

and Minister for Sport

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

issued a joint press release which stated that Treloar "will always be remembered as a remarkable trailblazer for athletics in this country". Athletics NSW named its annual interclub competition in honour of John Treloar. The Treloar shield runs every year between October and December 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 for Australia Sportsmen from New South Wales People educated at North Sydney Boys High School Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia 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 Australian Athletics Championships winners New Zealand Athletics Championships winners 20th-century Australian sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics