John Holland (athlete)
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20 December 1926
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | John Macfarlane Holland 20 December 1926 Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 9 June 1990 (aged 63) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Valerie Eileen Holland | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | 120 yd hurdles champion (1950, 1951, 1952, 1955) 220 yd hurdles champion (1951, 1952) 440 yd hurdles champion (1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best | 400 m hurdles: 51.9 s[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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John Macfarlane "Dutch" Holland (20 December 1926 – 9 June 1990) was a New Zealand athlete who competed mainly in hurdles events. His greatest international success was in the 400 metre/440 yards hurdles.
Born in the Auckland suburb of Mount Albert on 20 December 1926, Holland was the son of Rachel Colquhoun Holland (née Elliffe) and Daniel Dealy Holland, a journalist.[1][3][4] His sister, Joan, was the principal of St Cuthbert's College from 1969 to 1989.[4][5]
Athletics
Holland first came to national prominence when he won the New Zealand under-19 220 yards hurdles title in 1945.[2] He went on to win a total of 11 senior national athletics titles: the 120 yards hurdles in 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1955; the 220 yd hurdles in 1951 and 1952; and the 440 yd hurdles in 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, and 1952.[2] He was also the New Zealand record-holder for all three hurdles disciplines.
Competing for New Zealand in the men's 400 m hurdles at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Holland won his heat, but finished sixth in his semi-final and did not progress further.[1] Four years later, at the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, he competed in the same event, winning the bronze medal.[1]
Holland competed at the 1950 British Empire Games held in Auckland, where he won the silver medal in the 440 yards hurdles, and a bronze medal as a member of the New Zealand 4 x 400 yards relay team with Dave Batten, Derek Steward and Jack Sutherland. He also finished fifth in the 120 yards hurdles.[6]
In 1983, Holland was named the Auckland University Track Club's athlete of the century.[7]
Later life and death
After a period teaching, including at Southwell School in Hamilton,[8] Holland worked in the sales section of Shell Oil for over 25 years.[9] He died after a long illness, survived by his wife Val and two sons.[10]
