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| caption = ''Battersby in 1908''
| caption = ''Battersby in 1908''
| fullname = Thomas Sydney Battersby
| fullname = Thomas Sydney Battersby
| nicknames = "Syd"
| nicknames =
| national_team = {{GBR2}}
| national_team = Great Britain
| strokes = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]]
| strokes = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]]
| club = Wigan Swim Club
| club = Wigan Swim Club
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'''Thomas Sydney Battersby''' (18 November 1887 – 3 September 1974) was an English competition [[swimming (sport)|swimmer]] who represented Great Britain in [[freestyle swimming|freestyle]] events at two consecutive Olympic Games.
'''Thomas Sydney Battersby''' (18 November 1887 &ndash; 3 September 1974) was an English competition [[swimming (sport)|swimmer]] who represented Great Britain in [[freestyle swimming|freestyle]] events at two consecutive Olympic Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/47198 |title=Sydney Battersby |work=Olympedia |access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref>


At the [[1908 Summer Olympics]] hosted by London, he won a silver medal in the [[Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metre freestyle|men's 1500-metre freestyle]], finishing second with a time of 22:51.2, behind fellow Briton [[Henry Taylor (swimmer)|Henry Taylor]] (22:48.4), and ahead of Australian [[Frank Beaurepaire]] (22:56.2).<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-1500-metres-freestyle-final.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417044624/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-1500-metres-freestyle-final.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Men's 1,500 metres Freestyle Final |access-date=19 May 2015}}</ref> He also advanced to the semifinals in the [[Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre freestyle|400-metre freestyle]].<ref name=sroprofile>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/sydney-battersby-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165411/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/sydney-battersby-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Sydney Battersby |access-date=19 May 2015}}</ref>
At the [[1908 Summer Olympics]] hosted by London, he won a silver medal in the [[Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metre freestyle|men's 1500-metre freestyle]], finishing second with a time of 22:51.2, behind fellow Briton [[Henry Taylor (swimmer)|Henry Taylor]] (22:48.4), and ahead of Australian [[Frank Beaurepaire]] (22:56.2).<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-1500-metres-freestyle-final.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417044624/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1908/SWI/mens-1500-metres-freestyle-final.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Men's 1,500 metres Freestyle Final |access-date=19 May 2015}}</ref> He also advanced to the semifinals in the [[Swimming at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre freestyle|400-metre freestyle]].<ref name=sroprofile>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/sydney-battersby-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417165411/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/sydney-battersby-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Sydney Battersby |access-date=19 May 2015}}</ref>

Revision as of 18:52, 11 April 2021

Sydney Battersby
Battersby in 1908
Personal information
Full nameThomas Sydney Battersby
National teamGreat Britain
Born(1887-11-18)18 November 1887
Platt Bridge, Wigan, United Kingdom
Died3 September 1974(1974-09-03) (aged 86)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubWigan Swim Club
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1908 London 1500 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1912 Stockholm 4×200 m freestyle

Thomas Sydney Battersby (18 November 1887 – 3 September 1974) was an English competition swimmer who represented Great Britain in freestyle events at two consecutive Olympic Games.[1]

At the 1908 Summer Olympics hosted by London, he won a silver medal in the men's 1500-metre freestyle, finishing second with a time of 22:51.2, behind fellow Briton Henry Taylor (22:48.4), and ahead of Australian Frank Beaurepaire (22:56.2).[2] He also advanced to the semifinals in the 400-metre freestyle.[3]

Four years later at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, Battersby won a bronze medal as a member of the third-place British men's team in the 4×200-metre relay. He also reached the semifinals of the 400-metre freestyle and 1500-metre freestyle.[3]

During the course of his competitive swimming career, Battersby set four world records in freestyle events, including the 400-metre, 330-yard, 440-yard and one-mile distances.[4] Battersby had a reputation for physical toughness; at the 1908 Olympics, he continued to swim at the end of the 1500-metre event – a shorter distance than the imperial mile – in an attempt to break the world record for the mile freestyle. He fell short of breaking the world record, but did set a new British national mark.[5]

He was born in Platt Bridge, near Wigan, Lancashire, England, and died in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[3] He was posthumously inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 2007.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Sydney Battersby". Olympedia. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Men's 1,500 metres Freestyle Final". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Sydney Battersby". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b International Swimming Hall of Fame, Honourees, Sydney Battersby (GBR). Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  5. ^ David Prentice, "Merseyside's 100 Olympians: No. 43 Thomas Sydney Battersby", The Liverpool Echo (14 June 2012). Retrieved 19 May 2015.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sydney_Battersby&oldid=1017254506"