Jack Braughton (22 February 1921 – 30 October 2016)[1][2] was a British long-distance runner who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics.[3] He was born in Grimsby.[4][5]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 22 February 1921 Grimsby, England |
| Died | 30 October 2016 (aged 95) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Long-distance running |
Biography
editBraughton was born in February 1921 in Grimsby and attended Grimsby Technical College.[2] He ran for Cleethorpes Harriers and Grimsby Harriers, winning the Eastern-Counties Junior Cross-Country title in 1939.[2] Braughton was in the army in India, where he continued running, with the aim of competing at the Olympics.[2] He joined the Blackheath Harriers,[5] and later won multiple titles in Surrey in the three-mile event.[2]
Braughton worked on a building site,[6] and needed permission to take time off from work to compete at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.[7] He had to do so in his own time, and was not paid to take time off from work.[8] Braughton raced in the men's 5000 metres, finishing in eighth place in his heat.[9] As an amateur, he lost half a day's pay, and made his own way to Wembley Stadium using public transport.[10] Once at the stadium, he changed into his running gear, competed in the heat, and went home.[11]
After the Olympics, Braughton carried on with running.[12] In 1955, he finished in sixth place in his first ever marathon.[5] He continued to take part in running until he was 80 years old.[5] At the age of 90, he also did ballroom dancing four days a week.[5]
References
edit- ^ Notice of Jack Braughton's death
- ^ a b c d e "Jack Braughton". Olympedia. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "The Southerner Issue 48 (Sept 2006)" (PDF). The Southerner. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jack Braughton". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Jack Braughton, one of Britain's oldest athletics Olympians, dies aged 95". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "The Austerity Games: When the world came together again after VE Day". Team GB. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Olympian Jack Braughton shares his memories of the 1948 games". This Is Local London. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "TAKE SOME HORLICKS AND BRING YOUR OWN TOWEL". The Lady. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "5,000 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Olympian Jack Braughton shares his memories of the 1948 games". News Hopper. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "2012 Games a world away from London 1948". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "91-year-old runner remembers 1948 London Olympics". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
