Tim Johnston (runner)

Tim Johnston
Personal information
Birth nameTimothy Frederick Kembal Johnston
NationalityBritish
Born(1941-03-11)11 March 1941
Oxford, England
Died9 October 2021(2021-10-09) (aged 80)
The Hague, Netherlands
Sport
SportLong-distance running
EventMarathon

Tim Johnston (11 March 1941 – 9 October 2021) was a British long-distance runner.[1] He competed in the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[2] In 1968, Johnston was the British national champion in the six mile event and the marathon.[3][4] He also won the silver medal in the men's event at the 1967 International Cross Country Championships.[5] During the 1960s, Johnston set a British and World record in distance running.[6]

Biography

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Johnston was born in Oxford, England in 1941.[1] In the 1950s, he attended Bedales School in Hampshire,[7] before going to Trinity College, Cambridge.[1] At Bedales, Johnston became a two-time Hampshire Schools mile champion.[1] While at Trinity College, he became a cross-country runner.[1] In 1968, he was a two-time national champion, including setting a British record in the six mile event.[8] Also during the 1960s, Johnston won two Inter-Counties crowns and three Southern titles.[6]

At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Johnston competed in the men's marathon,[9] where he finished in eighth place.[10] Johnston also tried to compete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, but suffered from an Achilles tendon injury.[1]

Outside of sport, Johnston was also a solicitor and worked at the European Economic Community as a lawyer-linguist.[6] He later went to work at the International Court of Justice in The Hague as a legal translator.[1]

In 2016, Johnston wrote a biography on Otto Peltzer, a German middle distance runner,[11] which was illustrated by fellow Olympian Donald Macgregor.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Tim Johnston". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tim Johnston Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  3. ^ "AAA and National Championships Medallists - 6 Miles and 10000 metres". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. ^ "AAA and National Championships Medallists - Marathon". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. ^ Magnusson, Tomas (24 March 2007), International Cross Country Championships - 12.1km CC Men - Barry Date: Saturday, March 18, 1967, Athchamps (archived), archived from the original on 7 August 2007, retrieved 3 October 2013
  6. ^ a b c "Tim Johnston, GB distance star of the 1960s, dies". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Tim Johnston". Bedales School. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Hill v Johnston v Alder v Roelants v Turner (1970)". Racing Past. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Tim Johnston". Portsmouth Athletic. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Marathon, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Remembering a forgotten Olympic hero who faced brutality by the Nazis". The Courier. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  12. ^ "His Own Man - The Biography of Otto Peltzer Champion athlete, Nazi victim, Indian Hero by Tim Johnston, Donald Macgregor". Digital Library Collections. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
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