Basil Heatley
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United Kingdom | ||
| Men's Athletics | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | Tokyo 1964 | Marathon |
Benjamin Basil Heatley (born 25 December 1933 in Kenilworth, Warwickshire) is a British former athlete, who mainly competed in the marathon.[1]
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.[2]
He was a seven time participant at the International Cross Country Championships from 1957 to 1964. He was the runner-up to teammate Frank Sando at his first outing in the senior race and became the world champion in the sport at the 1961 International Cross Country Championships.[3]
References
- ↑ Basil Heatley. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-22.
- ↑ Sporting Heroes
- ↑ International Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-01-22.
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Leonard Edelen |
Men's Marathon World Record Holder 13 July 1964 – 21 October 1964 |
Succeeded by Abebe Bikila |