Reg Harris

For the North Carolina politician, see Reginald L. Harris. For the baseball player, see Reggie Harris.

Reg Harris
Harris at the 1948 Olympic Games
Personal information
Full nameReginald Hargreaves Harris[1]
Born(1920-03-01)1 March 1920
Birtle, Bury, Lancashire, England
Died22 June 1992(1992-06-22) (aged 72)
Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Team information
DisciplineTrack
RoleRider
Amateur teams
1934Cyclists' Touring Club
–Lancashire Road Club
–Manchester Wheelers' Club
Professional teams
1952–1955Raleigh Cycles-Dunlop
1957Raleigh Cycles-Dunlop
1971TI-Carlton
1972Falcon-Tighe
1975Draka Foam
Medal record
Men's track cycling
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1948 London Sprint
Silver medal – second place 1948 London Tandem
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1949 Copenhagen Sprint
Gold medal – first place 1950 Rocourt Sprint
Gold medal – first place 1951 Milan Sprint
Gold medal – first place 1954 Cologne Sprint
Silver medal – second place 1956 Copenhagen Sprint
Bronze medal – third place 1953 Zürich Sprint

Reginald Hargreaves Harris OBE (1 March 1920 – 22 June 1992) was an English track racing cyclist in the 1940s and 1950s. He won the world amateur sprint title in 1947, two Olympic silver medals in 1948[2] and the world professional title in 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1954. His ferocious will to win made him a household name in the 1950s, but he also surprised many with a comeback more than 20 years later, winning a British title in 1974 at the age of 54.

  1. ^ Dineen 2012, p. 5.
  2. ^ Wallechinsky, David (2012). The Book of Olympic Lists. p. 17. ISBN 978-1845137731.