Arthur Russell (13 March 1886 – 23 August 1972) was a British athlete. He was the winner of the 3,200-meter steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics for Great Britain.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 13 March 1886 Walsall, Staffordshire, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 August 1972 (aged 86) Walsall, Staffordshire, England | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Club | Rugby & District AC | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editRussell, from Staffordshire, won his first AAA title while only 17 years old. He became British national champion after winning the AAA Championships steeplechase event for three successive years from 1904[2] to 1906.[3][4][5]
At the London Olympics, Russell competed in the 3,200 metres steeplechase. In the first round, he was one of only two athletes in his heat to finish, easily defeating the other runner. Russell made the pace in the final for the first mile. Afterward, Russell and American John Eisele fought for the lead until the bell, when Briton Archie Robertson passed Eisele and was only beaten by two yards by Russell, with Eisele 25 yards (23 m) behind.[6]
Russell was a Walsall brick worker who ran for Walsall Harriers. His gold medal is extremely rare as it is made of solid gold, and this was the only time that the 3200-yard event was held.
References
edit- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Arthur Russell". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ "The Amateur Championships". Daily News (London). 4 July 1904. Retrieved 17 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Amateur Athletic Championships". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 3 July 1905. Retrieved 19 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Amateur Championships". Bristol Times and Mirror. 9 July 1906. Retrieved 20 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Arthur Russell". Olympedia. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
External links
edit- Arthur Russell at the British Olympic Committee (Archived 15 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine)
- Arthur Russell at Olympics.com
- Arthur Russell at Olympedia
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