Godfrey Brown

Godfrey Brown ( Arthur Godfrey Kilner Brown ; born February 21, 1915 in Bankura , Bengal , India , † February 4, 1995 in Sussex ) was a British sprinter and Olympic champion .

Brown was a highly talented 100 yards and half mile runner . In 1936 and 1938 he won the British AAA Championships over 440 yards and in 1939 over 880 yards. In 1937 he won 3 gold medals at the student world championships, each in the 400-meter run , in the 4-by-100-meter relay and in the 4-by-400-meter relay . At the European Championships in 1938 , he won gold over 400 meters, silver in the 4-by-100-meter relay and bronze in the 4-by-400-meter relay.

At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, he won the silver medal in the 400-meter run, behind the American Archie Williams and ahead of his compatriot James LuValle . He won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 meter relay, together with his teammates Freddie Wolff , Godfrey Rampling and Bill Roberts , ahead of the teams from the USA (silver) and Germany (bronze).

His sister Audrey and brother Ralph were also notable track and field athletes. Audrey won the silver medal in the 4-by-100-meter relay at the 1936 Olympics, and Ralph won the AAA British Championships in the 440-yard hurdles in 1934.

Godfrey Brown studied English and history at Cambridge University and after graduating worked as a history teacher at Bedford School. Because of his poor eyesight, he was released from the army and became headmaster of the Rochester School shortly before the war began . During the Second World War he was evacuated first to Lamberhurst and then to Taunton . From 1950 to 1978 he was headmaster of the Worcester Royal Grammar School .

Web links

• Godfrey Brown in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )