David Jones (runner)
British sprinter (1940–2023)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Henry Jones (11 March 1940 – 1 June 2023) was a British athlete who competed in the 100 & 200 metres who competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 11 March 1940 Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire, England |
| Died | 1 June 2023 (aged 83) England |
| Height | 179 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Sprints |
| Club | Woodford Green AC |
Medal record | |
Biography
Jones, a son of a farmer, was educated at Felsted School.[1]
Jones became the British 220 yards champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1959 AAA Championships[2] and successfully defened the title the following year at the 1960 AAA Championships.[3]
At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, he represented Great Britain in the 4 x 100 metre relay where he won the bronze medal with his teammates Peter Radford, David Segal and Nick Whitehead. He reached the 100 metres semi-final where he was denied a place in the final in a photo finish with Ray Norton of the USA although there are photos that seem to suggest he finished ahead of Norton.[1]
He won his third consecutive AAA titles over 220 yards at the 1961 AAA Championships[4] but lost out to Kenyan Seraphino Antao in 1962.[5] He was the holder of World Best performance over 150 yards in time of 13.9 secs in May 1961 at Southend-on-Sea and subsequently won a gold medal in the 4 x 110 yards relay in the England team, with Peter Radford, Alf Meakin, Len Carter, as well as winning a silver medal in the 220 yards event in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia.[6]
Jones won a fourth AAA title at the 1963 AAA Championships and was part of the 4 x 110 yards relay team (Peter Radford, Ron Jones & Berwyn Jones were his teammates) who defeated the USA team (which included Bob Hayes) at the White City Stadium in 1963 during the GB v USA match.
David was also part of the ITV Track & Field commentary team for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.[1] He was a significant hockey player, appearing for Southgate Hockey Club.[1]
Jones moved to Mallorca in 2003, where he died of liver cancer on 1 June 2023, at the age of 83.[7][8]