Ronald Walker

Ronald Walker (born December 22, 1907 in Leeds , † October 25, 1948 there ) was an English weightlifter .

Career

Ronald Walker from Wakefield did not get into weightlifting until he was 23 years old , after having previously trained in athleticshad operated. After years of advanced training, he first started in international heavyweight events in 1935 (at that time over 82.5 kg body weight). He was a very light heavyweight who weighed between 88 and 90 kg in his competitions. According to today's weight classification, he would actually be a medium-heavy weight (previously up to 90 kg, today up to 94 kg body weight). His achievements at that time were all the more astonishing, as he would have become vice world champion in middle heavyweight at the 1951 World Cup with the 397.5 kg achieved in Berlin in 1936. Ronald was relatively weak in pushing, but showed excellent performance in snapping and pushing.

He died in Leeds at the age of 41.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, S = Heavyweight)

• 1935, 1st place , tournament in London , S, with 367.5 kg, in front of Bill Good , USA , 357.5 kg;
• 1935, 2nd place , EM in Paris , S, with 382.5 kg, behind Josef Manger , Germany , 395 kg and in front of Václav Pšenička , Czechoslovakia , 382.5 kg and Kurt Wahl (weightlifter) , Germany, 382.5 kg ;
• 1936, 4th place , OS in Berlin , S, with 397.5 kg, behind Manger, 410 kg, Pšenička, 402.5 kg and Arnold Luhaäär , Estonia , 400 kg;
• 1937, 5th place , World Championships in Paris , S, with 390 kg, behind Manger, 420 kg, Pšenička, 405 kg, Heinz Schattner , Germany, 395 kg and Luhaäär, 392.5 kg

World record

in two-armed tearing:

• 135 kg, 1936 in London, p

Trivia

According to the current regulations (tearing and pushing duels), Ronald Walker would have become European champion in 1935 and Olympic champion in 1936. The result would have looked like this:

• EM 1935: 1st Walker, 270 kg (115–155) before Manger, 270 kg (120–150) due to lighter body weight,
• OS 1936: 1st Walker, 287.5 kg (127.5–160) before Manger, 277.5 kg (122.5–155)

Web links

• Pictures by Ronald Walker
• Ronald Walker in Top Lifters of the 20th Century
• Ronald Walker in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )