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Roland Hardy

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Roland Hardy
Personal information
NationalityBritish (English)
Born(1926-06-11)11 June 1926
Sheepbridge, Derbyshire, England
Died14 June 2016(2016-06-14) (aged 90)
Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England
Height176 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight64 kg (141 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventRacewalking
ClubSheffield United Harriers

Roland Hardy (11 June 1926 – 14 June 2016)[1] was a British racewalker who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1956 Summer Olympics.[2] He was born in Sheepbridge, Derbyshire.[3] Hardy was a five-time national champion in the 7 miles walk and a two-time national champion in the 2 miles walk.[4]

Biography

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Hardy was born in Sheepbridge, Derbyshire, in June 1926.[2] At school, Hardy took part in both cricket and football.[2] In the latter, he was noticed by Sheffield United's manager Teddy Davison, who signed him to play for the side.[2] However, Hardy's National service stopped him from taking up a career in football.[2] In April 1949, Hardy began to take up race walking, where he joined the Sheffield United Harriers.[2] Later that year, Hardy won the 1949 Sheffield Star Walk, breaking the course record by 53 seconds.[5]

Hardy became the British 7 miles walk champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1950 AAA Championships[6] and successfully retained his title for the next three years in 1951, 1952[7] and 1953.[8]

In August 1951, Hardy set a new world record in the 5-mile walk, beating the previous time by nine seconds,[2] and then broke the British 7-mile record one year later.[2] With this form, Hardy was selected to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.[9]

Hardy competed at two Olympic Games.[10] At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Hardy took part in the men's 10 kilometres walk, but was disqualified in his heat.[11] Four years later, at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, he finished in eighth place in the men's 20 kilometres walk.[12]

He died in June 2016, in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, at the age of 90.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ Roland Hardy's obituary
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Roland Hardy". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Roland Hardy". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  4. ^ "BRITISH ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 1945-1959". GB Athletics. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Vale Roland Hardy 1926-2016" (PDF). Victorian Race Walking Club. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  6. ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  7. ^ "AAA walk record by Hardy". Manchester Evening News. 21 June 1952. Retrieved 21 April 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Roland Hardy – Famous Derbyshire People". Peak District Online. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Hallamshire Harriers History – the first 50 years" (PDF). Hallamshire Harriers. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  11. ^ "10 kilometres Walk, Men (1952)". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  12. ^ "20 kilometres Walk, Men (1956)". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  13. ^ "DOUBLE OLYMPIC RACE WALKER ROLAND HARDY DIES". Pocket Mags. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Roland Hardy obituary". Legacy. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
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