Lionel Cornish
British athlete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lionel John Cornish (25 December 1879 – 18 April 1939) was a British track and field athlete, who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[1][2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 25 December 1879 Hackney, London, England |
| Died | 18 April 1939 (aged 59) Weybridge, Surrey, England |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | long jump |
| Club | University of Oxford AC Achilles Club |
Biography
Cornish born in Hackney, London, was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and Lincoln College in the University of Oxford.[1]
In 1898 and while still at school, Cornish set 100 yards and 400 yards records at the L.A.C. Schools' Meeting.[1] In 1900, as a Lincoln College student, he won his Oxford blue, winning the Oxbridge Sports long jump title the same year.[3] He was also an accomplished runner and won the 440 yards and competed in the 100 yards at the varsity match in 1901.[4]
Cornish finished second behind Irishman Peter O'Connor in the long jump event at the 1902 AAA Championships[5] and repeated the feat three years later at the 1905 AAA Championships, where he was beaten by O'Connor again.[6] In 1905 he set his personal best of 7.10.[1]
After a third place finish at the 1906 AAA Championships,[7] the AAA title eluded Cornish again when he finished runner-up to another Irishman Denis Murray.[8]
Cornish represented the Great Britain team at the 1908 Olympic Games in London,[9][10] and failed to advance to the finals of the men's long jump competition and the standing long jump event.[1]
Cornish had been called to the Bar back in 1904 and would later forge a career in banking.[1]