Harold A. Wilson (athlete)

For the English physicist, see Harold A. Wilson (physicist).

Harold A. Wilson
Harold Wilson at the 1908 Olympics
Personal information
Born22 January 1885
Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England
Died17 May 1932(1932-05-17) (aged 47)[1]
South Africa
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight8 st 3 lb (52 kg)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event800-5,000 m
ClubHallamshire Harriers, Sheffield
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m – 1:57.2 (1904)
1500 m – 3:59.8 (1908)
5000 m – 15:32.5 (1908)[2][3]
Medal record
Representing  United Kingdom
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1908 London 3 miles team race
Silver medal – second place 1908 London 1500 metres
Mel Sheppard narrowly defeating Wilson in the 1500 metres race in the 1908 Olympics.

Harold Allan Wilson (22 January 1885 – 17 May 1932) was an English runner. Born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, he was a member of the Hallamshire Harriers in Sheffield. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London and won a team gold in the 3 mile and an individual silver in the 1500 metres race. He was the first man to run a sub four minute 1,500 metres, with a time of 3:59.8 in May 1908.[2][3][4]

Wilson became the National 1 mile champion after winning the AAA Championships title at the 1908 AAA Championships.[5][6]

At the 1908 Olympics, Wilson won his 1500 m semi-final in a time of 4:11.4; his time in the final was 4:03.6, fractions of a second behind Melvin Sheppard.[7] He was also part of Britain's five-man gold medal-winning team in the three-mile race. He was Britain's fourth man home in fifth place overall. His teammates were Archie Robertson, Norman Hallows, Joe Deakin and William Coales.[2]

The following year, Wilson was in Queens, New York, competing alongside Sheppard. He spent the 1909 season in the U.S. and was considered one of the best mile runners. The same year, he turned professional and raced in Australia and South Africa. On 29 November 1915, he enlisted as a Private in the West Yorkshire Regiment, serving overseas during World War I.[2] He later emigrated to South Africa, where he died in 1932 aged 47.[8]

  1. ^ Harold A. Wilson at Olympedia
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference r1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference r4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ The Late Harold Wilson, Star Green 'un, June 11, 1932
  5. ^ "AAA Championships". Birmingham Daily Gazette. 6 July 1908. Retrieved 25 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  7. ^ 1910 Hassan Cigarettes trading card.
  8. ^ Death of Harold Wilson, Sheffield Daily Telegraph, June 7, 1932