Lynn Davies

Lynn Davies at the 1964 Olympics

Lynn Davies (born May 20, 1942 in Nantymoel , Wales ) is a retired British athlete and Olympic champion who was one of the world's best long jumpers in the 1960s .

Athletic career

After the American Ralph Boston had surpassed the 25-year-old world record set by Jesse Owens in 1960, Boston and the multiple European champion Igor Ter-Owanesjan (Soviet Union) improved the world record five times by 1964. The two huge favorites for the long jump at the Olympic Games in 1964 were thus determined. On the day of the competition, October 18, 1964, it rained in Tokyo , and the two favorites could not prove their performance. And so the 22-year-old Lynn Davies won gold with a British record of 8.07 m, ahead of Boston (silver) and Ter-Owanesjan (bronze).

In the following years, Lynn Davies proved that his success was no accident, even if he no longer reached the final battle at the Olympic Games. Lynn Davies set a total of eight British records, his best jump was in Bern in 1968 with 8.23 ​​m.

Also as a runner in the 4 x 100 meter relay , he reached the finals. In 1964 he finished eighth at the Games in Tokyo and at the 1966 European Championships he came in fifth with the relay.

Overview of successes

Olympic games

• 1964 : 1st place with 8.07 m
• 1968 : 9th place in the preliminary competition with 7.94 m
• 1972 : 18th place in qualification with 7.64 m

European championships

• 1962 11th place in the preliminary competition with 7.33 m
• 1966 1st place with 7.98 m
• 1969 2nd place with 8.07 m (tail wind) behind Ter-Owanesjan
• 1971 4th place with 7.85 m

European Indoor Championships

• 1967: 1st place with 7.85 m
• 1969: 2nd place with 7.76 m behind Klaus Beer
• 1972: 8th place with 7.64 m

Commonwealth Games

• 1962: 4th place with 7.72 m
• 1966: 1st place with 7.99 m
• 1970: 1st place with 8.06 m

After the career

After ending his career in 1972, he was a member of the Canadian coaching staff for four years, preparing the athletes for the 1976 home games in Montreal. Lynn Davies later worked for the British Athletics Federation and the BBC. On June 17, 2006, Lynn Davies was named Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

Web links

• Lynn Davies in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )