Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Template:Infobox Olympics Great Britain
The United Kingdom competed as Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. British athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games. 189 competitors, 163 men and 26 women, took part in 108 events in 17 sports.[1]
The Melbourne Games saw an improvement on Great Britain and Northern Ireland's performance at the two preceding Games. British athletes won six gold medals (up from just one in 1952). Overall, they won twenty-four medals, finishing eighth.
Medallists
Gold
- Chris Brasher — Athletics, Men's 3.000m Steeplechase
- Terence Spinks — Boxing, Men's Flyweight
- Richard McTaggart — Boxing, Men's Lightweight
- Bertie Hill, Arthur Rook, and Francis Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Team
- Gillian Sheen — Fencing, Women's Foil Individual
- Judy Grinham — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke
Silver
- Derek Johnson — Athletics, Men's 800m
- Gordon Pirie — Athletics, Men's 5.000m
- Jean Scrivens, Heather Armitage, June Foulds, and Anne Pashley — Athletics, Women's 4x100m Relay
- Thelma Hopkins — Athletics, Women's High Jump
- Thomas Nicholls — Boxing, Men's Featherweight
- Arthur Brittain, William Holmes, and Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Team Road Race
- Robert Perry, David Bowker, John Dillon, and Neil Kennedy-Cochran — Sailing, Men's 5½ Meter Class
Bronze
- Derek Ibbotson — Athletics, Men's 5.000m
- Michael Wheeler, Peter Higgins, Derek Johnson, and John Salisbury — Athletics, Men's 4x400m Relay
- Nicholas Gargano — Boxing, Men's Welterweight
- John McCormack — Boxing, Men's Light Middleweight
- Tom Simpson, Donald Burgess, Michael Gambrill, and John Geddes — Cycling, Men's 4.000m Team Pursuit
- Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Individual Road Race
- Francis Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Individual
- Peter Robeson, Pat Smythe, and Wilf White — Equestrian, Jumping Team
- Margaret Edwards — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke
- Terrence Smith and Jasper Blackall — Sailing, Men's Sharpie 12m²
- Graham Mann, Ronald Backus, and Jonathan Janson — Sailing, Men's Dragon
Athletics
Men's 110m Hurdles
- Heat — 14.5s (→ did not advance)
- Heat — 14.8s (→ did not advance)
Men's 1500m
- Final— 3:42.6 (→ 5th place)
- Ian Boyd
- Final— 3:43.0 (→ 8th place)
- Ken Wood
- Final— 3:44.76 (→ 9th place)
Men's Marathon
- Harry Hicks — 2:39:55 (→ 15th place)
- Fred Norris — did not finish (→ no ranking)
- Ron Clark — did not finish (→ no ranking)
Women's Discus Throw
- Qualifying Round — 41.45 m (→ did not advance, 14th place)
Boxing
Men's Light Flyweight (– 48 kg)
Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg)
Men's Bantamweight (– 54 kg)
Men's Featherweight (– 57 kg)
Men's Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg)
Men's Light Middleweight (– 67 kg)
Men's Middleweight (– 75 kg)
Canoeing
Cycling
- Keith Harrison — 15th place
- Alan Danson — 1:12.3 (→ 5th place)
- Eric Thompson
Peter Brotherton — 4th place
- Donald Burgess
John Geddes
Michael Gambrill
Tom Simpson — 4:42.2 (→ Bronze Medal)
- Alan Jackson
Arthur Brittain
William Holmes — 23 points (→ Silver Medal)
- Alan Jackson — 5:23:16 (→ Bronze Medal)
- Arthur Brittain — 5:23:40 (→ 6th place)
- William Holmes — 5:23:40 (→ 14th place)
- Harold Reynolds — 5:24:44 (→ 19th place)
Diving
Men's 10m Platform
- Preliminary Round — 68.34 (→ did not advance, 14th place)
- Preliminary Round — 62.56 (→ did not advance, 20th place)
- Preliminary Round — 60.08 (→ did not advance, 21st place)
Women's 10m Platform
- Preliminary Round — 49.15
- Final — 76.15 (→ 7th place)
- Preliminary Round — 46.55
- Final — 69.05 (→ 12th place)
Fencing
Nine fencers, seven men and two women, represented Great Britain in 1956.
Football
Gymnastics
The British Gymnastics team competed in 15 events, and was made up of 14 gymnasts, (6 men and 8 women), including Frank Turner, competing in his third Summer Olympics.
Hockey
Modern pentathlon
Three male pentathletes represented Great Britain in 1956.
- Individual
- Team
- Donald Cobley
- Thomas Hudson
- George Norman
Rowing
- Single scull - Tony Fox - Unplaced
- Double scull - Sidney Rand, W H Rand - Unplaced
- Eight - M G Delahooke, J A L Russell, S G D Tozer, A R Watson, I Welsh, Chris Davidge, R A Wheadon, K A Masser, J F K Hinde
Sailing
Shooting
Six shooters represented Great Britain in 1956.
Swimming
Water polo
Weightlifting
Wrestling
References
- ^ "Great Britain at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-10-16.