| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for United Kingdom | ||
| Men's Athletics | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | Tokyo 1964 | Marathon |
Benjamin Basil Heatley (born 25 December 1933) was a British athlete, who mainly competed in the marathon. He was born in Kenilworth, Warwickshire.
On 13 July 1964 Heatley broke the world record for the marathon at the Polytechnic Marathon in England, running a 2:13:56 to surpass Leonard Edelen's world best from the previous year's race by 32 seconds. Three months later, on 21 October 1964, Heatley competed in the men's marathon in the 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. Defending Olympic marathon champion Abebe Bikila won another Olympic gold medal in another world record time. Heatley managed to stay close to Japan's Kokichi Tsuburaya and passed Tsuburaya shortly before the finish line to win the silver medal.
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Leonard Edelen |
Men's Marathon World Record Holder 13 July 1964 – 21 October 1964 |
Succeeded by Abebe Bikila |