Hector Harold Whitlock (December 16, 1903 – December 27, 1985) was a British athlete who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre walk.
Whitlock won his first national title in 1933. Two years later, he set a new world record for a 30-mile walk, finishing in 4 hours, 29 minutes, 31.8 seconds. In the same year, he also became the first recorded man to walk between London and Brighton in under eight hours.[1]
His main achievement came in 1936, where he won the gold medal in the 50 kilometre walk at the Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany, finishing in a time of 4 hours, 30 minutes, 41.4 seconds. He gained this victory despite being affected by sickness about 38 kilometres into the race. This sickness, apparently food-related, also affected his fellow British competitors T. Lloyd Johnson and J. Hopkins.[1]
He continued to represent Britain at an international level until 1952, when he came 11th at the Helsinki Olympics. Competing at the age of 48, he was Britain's oldest ever international athlete.[1]
After this, Whitlock continued as a coach and judge. Notably, he coached Don Thompson, who won gold in the 50 kilometre walking event at the 1960 Olympics.[1]
He died on 27 December 1985 at the age of 82.
In 2011, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Mr Harold Whitlock: Distinguished Olympic walker". The Times. 31 December 1985.
| Persondata |
| Name |
Whitlock, Harold |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
British athlete |
| Date of birth |
December 16, 1903 |
| Place of birth |
|
| Date of death |
December 27, 1985 |
| Place of death |
|
Great Britain
