George Butterfield (athlete)
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1879 Stockton-on-Tees, England |
| Died | 24 September 1917 (aged 38) near Ieper (Ypres), West-Vlaanderen, Belgium |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | middle-distance |
| Club | Darlington Harriers |
George Butterfield (April 1879 – 24 September 1917) was a British athlete running for Darlington Harriers. He ran the world's fastest mile in 1906 and competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.[1]
Born in Stockton on Tees,[2] Butterfield became the National mile champion after winning the AAA Championships title at the 1905 AAA Championships.[3][4] He went on to successfully defend the title in both 1906[5] and 1907.[6][7][8]
Butterfield came in second in his semi-final heat in the 800 metres at the 1908 Olympic Games, with a time of 1:58.9.[9] His finish, while behind Ödön Bodor's, was ahead of defending champion James Lightbody's. Butterfield did not advance to the final.[10]
At the same Olympics, he also competed in the 1500 metres, placing third in his initial semifinal heat and not advancing to the final. Butterfield's time was 4:11.8; Mel Sheppard had set a new Olympic record at 4:05.0 in winning the heat and eliminating Butterfield and the other five runners.
Butterfield was killed in action during the First World War,[11] serving as a private with the Royal Garrison Artillery. He was buried in the Birr Cross Roads Cemetery.[12]
His obituary in the Northern Despatch recorded that he had once raced against a greyhound. The dog came second.[9]
