Brian Shenton
 Shenton in 1950 British running kit with his trainer | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 15 March 1927 Doncaster, England |
| Died | 9 May 1987 (aged 60) |
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Sprints |
| Club | Polytechnic Harriers |
Medal record | |
Brian Shenton (15 March 1927 – 9 May 1987)[1] was a track and field sprinter. He represented Great Britain in the men's 200 metres and men's 4 × 100 metres relay at two consecutive Summer Olympics (1952 and 1956).[2]
Biography
[edit]Born in Doncaster from a working-class background,[3] he was a member of the Doncaster Plant Works Athletic Club,[4] later having a successful career in the City and reaching the position of Chairman of Noble Lowndes. He died in a car crash soon after retirement.[5]
Shenton came to public attention in 1950 with a series of good performances, culminating in a place at the European Championships as a replacement. Described as the "boy from nowhere", he set a new personal best in the semi-finals of 21.6s, in the finals beating off the challenge of Étienne Bally.[6]
He won the gold medal at the 1950 European Athletics Championships in Brussels, Belgium in the men's 200 metres in a time of 21.5s as part of the British team that first topped the medal table with a medal count that would not be matched for a further 40 years.[7] Representing the England athletics team he won the silver medal at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand, in the 4 × 110 yard relay and won an individual silver medal in the 220 yard dash at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[8]
He won the silver medal at the 1954 European Athletics Championships in Berne, Switzerland in the men's 4 × 100 metres relay,[9] alongside George Ellis, Kenneth Jones and Kenneth Box.[citation needed]
Shenton was the British 220 yards champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1954 AAA Championships[10] and the 1956 AAA Championships.[11]
In 1957 Brian Shenton was timed as having set the English 100 yards native record in a time of 9.7 seconds. However, this was disallowed following a ruling that he had had a "flier". Shenton appealed and received a personal hearing at the AAA.[12]
Memorabilia from Brian Shenton's athletic career was included in an exhibition of Doncaster's local Olympians in celebration of the London 2012 Olympics.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Brian Shenton". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009.
- ^ British Olympic Committee
- ^ Brian Shenton Archived 13 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2012-07-22.
- ^ Feature: Athletics club back on track
- ^ Feature: Athletics club back on track
- ^ Daily Mirror, 28 August 1950
- ^ BBC Sport Team GB at the Euros
- ^ Commonwealth Games Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ European Championships[usurped]
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ Daily Mirror, 14 and 18 December 1957
- ^ Olympic exhibition at Cusworth Hall Museum
European Athletics Championships champions in men's 200 metres | |
|---|---|
|
- 1927 births
- 1987 deaths
- Sportspeople from Doncaster
- English male sprinters
- British male sprinters
- Olympic athletes for Great Britain
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- European Athletics Championships medalists
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
- Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games
- Medallists at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- 20th-century English sportsmen