Colin Smith (athlete)

Colin George Smith (2 August 1935 – 21 December 2014) was a British former track and field athlete who specialised in the javelin throw. He was the gold medallist in the event at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, setting a games record mark of 71.29 m (233 ft 10 1⁄2 in) to win the title. He returned to defend his title in 1962 and was much improved with a lifetime best throw of 77.94 m (255 ft 8 1⁄2 in), but he was beaten into the silver medal position by Australia's Alf Mitchell.[1][2]

Colin Smith
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  England
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1958 CardiffJavelin throw
1962 PerthJavelin throw

Born in Harlesden, London, he took up throwing events while a young teenager at school. Trained by Bill Plumridge he went on to compete in over forty internationals for England and Great Britain.[3] Smith competed twice at the European Athletics Championships, taking part in 1958 and again 1962, but did not perform well and failed to make the final round in either attempt.[4]

He was a three-time winner at the AAA Championships, winning in 1958, 1959 and 1963.[5] Prior to that he won the AAA Junior title in 1953.[6] He was a member of Thames Valley Harriers during his career.[7]

Smith served as a coach even in his younger years and assembled a training group comprising the majority of Britain's best throwers, including Dave Travis and John FitzSimons (both Commonwealth champions in their own right), John McSorley (a British record breaker), and John Kitching

In 1972, Smith and his family emigrated to Australia.[3] After retirement in the New South Wales country, Smith, along with his wife and daughter, remained involved in athletics and coached regional level athletes around Sydney.[3] Colin Smith died 21 December 2014.[8]

International competitions
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Cardiff, United Kingdom 1st 71.29 m GR
European Championships Stockholm, Sweden 18th 65.35 m
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Perth, Western Australia 2nd 77.94 m
European Championships Belgrade, Yugoslavia 25th 63.85 m

National titles
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References
  1. Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-18.
  2. Colin Smith. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2016-03-18.
  3. Britain’s javelin maestro: almost 60 years of competition and coaching - The career of Colin Smith. Track Stats (December 2011). Retrieved on 2016-03-18.
  4. European Athletics Championships Zürich 2014 - STATISTICS HANDBOOK. European Athletics, pp. 391-397. Retrieved on 2016-03-18.
  5. AAA Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-18.
  6. British Championships 1945–1959. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-18.
  7. Colin Smith. Tops in Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-18.
  8. Athletics NSW Administrator (22 January 2015). "VALE Colin Smith: athlete, coach, administrator & official". nswathletics.org.au. Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, Australia: Athletics NSW Limited. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
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