John Basil Charles Dickinson (25 April 1915 – 7 October 2013)[2] was an Australian athlete who competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Basil Dickinson
Personal information
Born25 April 1915
Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Died7 October 2013 (aged 98)
Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Triple jump, long jump
Achievements and titles
Personal bestTJ – 15.64 m (1935)[1]
Medal record
Representing  Australia
British Empire Games
Bronze medal – third place 1938 Sydney Long jump
Bronze medal – third place 1938 Sydney Triple jump

Born in Queanbeyan, Dickinson attended Sydney Boys High School, graduating in 1932.[3] At the 1936 Summer Olympics he struggled with an injury; after finishing 16th in the triple jump he withdrew from the long jump.[1][4]

Dickinson won the Australian title in the triple jump in 1934 and 1936–37. At the 1938 Empire Games he earned bronze medals in both the long jump and triple jump, and in 1939 he won the New South Wales decathlon title. This was his last athletics competition, as the same year he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force.[5][6] After World War II he worked in insurance and remained involved in athletics as an administrator. He was the chief judge of the jumping events at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.[1][2]

After the death of Bill Roycroft on 29 May 2011, Dickinson was recognised as Australia's oldest surviving Olympian,[7][8] and as the last surviving member of the Australian 1936 Olympic team. He died on 7 October 2013, aged 98.[1][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Basil Dickinson Archived 19 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  2. ^ a b Our oldest olympian born in Queanbeyan – Triple jumper has fond memories. The Queanbeyan Age. 20 July 2007
  3. ^ Sydney High School – Australian Sporting Representatives Archived 23 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. (PDF) . Retrieved on 25 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Australia's oldest Olympian Basil Dickinson dies". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Basil Charlers Dickinson – Service Number – NX42081". National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Australia's oldest Olympian Basil Dickinson dies aged 98". Sydney Morning Herald. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  7. ^ Australia's oldest Olympian dies at 95. The Age. 13 February 2008
  8. ^ Games out of step with its creed, says Australia's oldest Olympian. Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved on 25 August 2015.
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