Edward Barrett (Irish sportsman)
Irish sportsman (1877–1932)
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Edward Edmond Barrett (3 November 1877 – 19 March 1932) was an Irish athlete, wrestler and hurler, who won a gold medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics.
The 1908 City of London Police team that won the gold medal in 1908. (Back row – left to right): Frederick Merriman, John James Shepherd, Edwin Mills, Albert Ireton, Frederick Goodfellow, Frederick Humphreys (Front row – left to right): Edward Barrett, Henry Duke (Captain), William Hirons | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 3 November 1877 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 19 March 1932 (aged 54) London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 99 kg (218 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Club | City of London Police A.C | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
He was born in Rahela, Ballyduff, County Kerry, Ireland.[1] Barrett played hurling with the local Ballyduff team. He emigrated to London, joined a local hurling club, and was selected for the London GAA team. He was a corner-forward on the London team, which won the 1901 All-Ireland Championship, beating Cork GAA 1–5 to 0–4 in the final. It remains London's only senior All-Ireland hurling Championship title. Barrett also appeared for London in the final of the following year, but this time Cork gained revenge, thrashing London 3–13 to 0–0.[citation needed]
Barrett represented Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London,[2][3] where he won a gold medal as part of the City of London Police tug-of-war team. He also won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division of the freestyle wrestling competition.[4]
Barrett also competed in the shot, javelin and discus competitions in the 1908 athletics programme, but wrestling was his premier sport. He was a British heavyweight freestyle champion at the British Wrestling Championships in 1908 and 1911.[5] Barrett also competed in Greco-Roman wrestling in both 1908 and the Stockholm Olympics of 1912.
He resigned from the City of London Police force in July 1914.[1]
