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Chris Brasher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Olympic medalist | |||
 Chris Brasher |
|||
| Medal record | |||
| Men's athletics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Melbourne 1956 | 3000m Steeplechase | |
Christopher ("Chris") William Brasher CBE (August 21, 1928 – February 28, 2003) was a British athlete and sports journalist who helped found the London Marathon.
Brasher was born in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. In 1954, he acted as pacemaker for Roger Bannister when the latter ran the first sub-four-minute mile at the Iffley Road Stadium in Oxford. Two years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, Brasher finished first in the 3,000 metres steeplechase with a time of 8 minutes 41.2 seconds, but was disqualified for allegedly interfering with another runner, Ernst Larsen of Norway. The following day, after an investigation, he was reinstated as gold medallist.
Brasher,a student of the Duke of York's Royal Military School and later a graduate of St John's College, Cambridge, went on to enjoy a distinguished career in journalism as sports editor for The Observer newspaper and in broadcasting, working as a reporter for the Tonight programme.
He was one of the pioneers of orienteering in Britain and can claim the first public mention of the sport in an article in The Observer in 1957: [1]
I have just taken part, for the first time, in one of the best sports in the world. It is hard to know what to call it. The Norwegians call it 'orientation'...
In 1978 he designed the innovative Brasher Boot [2] - a walking boot with the comfort of a running shoe.
Brasher was awarded the CBE in 1996.
He died at his home in Chaddleworth, Berkshire, after an illness lasting several months.[3]
- "Athletics world mourns the man behind the London marathon" - an article by John Ezard in The Guardian, dated March 1, 2003
- "Marathon founder Brasher dies" - a BBC Sport article, dated February 28, 2003
- "Great British Olympians:Chris Brasher" - an article by David Walsh in The Sunday Times from 2000.
| Olympic champions in men's 3000 m steeplechase |
|---|
| 1900 (2500 m): George Orton | 1900 (4000 m): John Rimmer | 1904 (2590 m): Jim Lightbody | 1908 (3200 m): Arthur Russell | 1920: Percy Hodge | 1924: Ville Ritola | 1928: Toivo Loukola | 1932: Volmari Iso-Hollo | 1936: Volmari Iso-Hollo | 1948: Tore Sjöstrand | 1952: Horace Ashenfelter | 1956: Chris Brasher | 1960: Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak | 1964: Gaston Roelants | 1968: Amos Biwott | 1972: Kip Keino | 1976: Anders Gärderud | 1980: Bronisław Malinowski | 1984: Julius Korir | 1988: Julius Kariuki | 1992: Matthew Birir | 1996: Joseph Keter | 2000: Reuben Kosgei | 2004: Ezekiel Kemboi |
| Post-war British Olympic champions in men's athletics |
|---|
| 1956: Chris Brasher (3000 m steeplechase) | 1960: Don Thompson (50 km walk) | 1964: Ken Matthews (20 km walk) | 1964: Lynn Davies (long jump) | 1968: David Hemery (400 m hurdles) 1980: Allan Wells (100 m) | 1980: Steve Ovett (800 m) | 1980 & 1984: Sebastian Coe (1500 m) | 1980 & 1984: Daley Thompson (decathlon) | 1992: Linford Christie (100 m) | 2000: Jonathan Edwards (triple jump) | 2004: Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, Marlon Devonish & Mark Lewis-Francis (4 x 100 m relay) |
Categories: 1928 births | 2003 deaths | English athletes | British middle distance runners | Olympic competitors for Great Britain | Athletes at the 1956 Summer Olympics | People from Berkshire | Commanders of the Order of the British Empire | Middle distance runners | British orienteers | Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge