Ken Wood (athlete)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 November 1930 |
| Died | 8 September 2008 (aged 77) Sheffield, United Kingdom |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Middle-distance running |
| Club | Sheffield United Harriers |
Kenneth Wood (21 November 1930 – 8 September 2008) was a British middle-distance runner. He ran one of the early Four-minute mile runs and represented Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Career[edit]
Wood competed with the Sheffield United Harriers athletic club. Between 1954 and 1961 he won the Emsley Carr Mile a record four times. In this period he was selected to run for Great Britain in the 1956 Olympic 1500 metres finishing ninth in the final. [1] Wood won the mile event at the AAA Championships in 1956 and 1959. [2] In May 1955 Wood finished second in a two-mile race behind Sándor Iharos both breaking the world two mile outdoor record. Woods time being 8:34.8. [3]
He became the fourteenth athlete (the fifth from the UK) to officially run a Four-minute mile, achieving a time of 3:59.3 on 19 July 1957.[4] He in fact finished fourth behind Derek Ibbotson, who set a new British record, Ron Delany and Stanislav Jungwirth. [5] [6]
On the 50th anniversary of Roger Bannister's first Four-minute mile, Wood claimed he had previously run under four minutes on 7 April 1954. [7] [8] This unofficial run being timed by explorer and then Sheffield University student Roy Koerner.
Wood died in September 2008.[9]
Record[edit]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Emsley Carr Mile | White City Stadium, London | 1st | Mile | 4:04.8 |
| 1955 | Emsley Carr Mile | White City Stadium, London | 1st | Mile | 4:05.4 |
| May 1955 | Athletics Meeting | London | 2nd | Two miles | 8:34.8 (Won by Sándor Iharos (8:33.4) ) |
| 1956 | AAA Championships | White City Stadium, London | 1st | Mile | 4:06.8 |
| Dec 1956 | Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics | Melbourne, Australia | 9th | 1500m | 3:46:6 (Won by Ron Delany (3:41.49) ) |
| July 1957 | Athletics Meeting | White City Stadium, London | 4th | Mile | 3:59.3 (Won by Derek Ibbotson (3:57.2) ) |
| 1957 | Emsley Carr Mile | White City Stadium, London | 1st | Mile | 4:02.0 |
| 1959 | AAA Championships | White City Stadium, London | 1st | Mile | 4:08.1 |
| 1961 | Emsley Carr Mile | White City Stadium, London | 1st | Mile | 4:08.4 |
References[edit]
- ^ "Ken Wood". sports-reference. sports-reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "BRITISH ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 1945-1959". GBRathletics. GBRathletics. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Track feats bolster US olympic hopes". archives.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Sub-4 Register in Date Sequence". Archived from the original on 10 October 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Alan Gordon". Scottish Distance Running History. Scottish Distance Running History. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Racing Past - Derek Ibbotson". Racing Past. Racing Past. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ Turnbull, Simon (11 April 2004). "Athletics: The four-minute miler who beat Bannister by 29 days". Independent. Independent Newspapers. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ Davies, Catriona (12 April 2004). "Did another runner pip Sir Roger?". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "Mile champ Ken dies at age of 77". TheStar. The Star. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
