Alec Burns
British long-distance runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Alexander Burns (5 November 1907 – 22 May 2003) was an English track and field athlete who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 November 1907 Newcastle upon Tyne, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 22 May 2003 (aged 95) Newcastle upon Tyne, England | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Event | middle-distance | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Elswick Harriers | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Burns was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. He became the national 4 miles champion after winning the British AAA Championships at the 1931 AAA Championships[2][3][4] In 1932 at the Olympic Games, he finished seventh in the Olympic 5000 metres event.[1]
Burns represented England at the 1934 British Empire Games, winning a bronze medal in the 3 miles contest.[5]
Burns finished second behind Józef Noji in the 6 miles event and second behind William Eaton in the 10 miles event at the 1936 AAA Championships.[6][7] One month later he was selected to represent Great Britain at the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, where he finished fifth in the 10,000 metres competition.[1]
Burns once again finished runner-up at the 1937 AAA Championships in both the 6 miles and 10 miles races.[8][9]
His grandson was Richard Burns, the 2001 World Rally Champion.
