John Davies (middle-distance runner)

John Llewellyn Davies MBE (25 May 1938 – 21 July 2003) was a New Zealand Olympic bronze medallist and president of the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC).[1]

John Davies
MBE
Davies at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Born(1938-05-25)25 May 1938
London, England
Died21 July 2003(2003-07-21) (aged 65)
Auckland, New Zealand
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportAthletics
Event(s)1500 m
ClubWaikato
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1500 m – 3:39.6 (1964)
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Olympic Games
1964 Tokyo 1500 metres
Commonwealth Games
1962 Perth 1 mile

Biography

Davies was born in London, England, to Welsh parents, and in 1953 moved to New Zealand with his family. The family settled in Tokoroa.[2] He won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, and a silver medal in the one mile event at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth.[1]

Davies retired due to long-term injuries, and after that coached middle- and long-distance athletes, including 1976 Olympic 5000 m silver medallist Dick Quax, 1992 Olympic Marathon bronze medallist Lorraine Moller and 1996 Olympic 800 m finalist Toni Hodgkinson. He also contributed to sport as administrator and television commentator.[1]

In the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours, Davies was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to athletics. In October 2000, Davies succeeded Sir David Beattie to become the NZOC president.[3] In 2003 he was awarded the Leonard Cuff medal by the International Olympic Academy for promoting olympism, only weeks before he died of melanoma.[1][4]

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References
  1. John Davies Archived 1 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  2. Maddaford, Terry (25 July 2003). "Obituary: John Davies". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  3. "NZ Olympic boss Davies dies". The New Zealand Herald. 21 July 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  4. "Olympic idealist". New Zealand Listener. Retrieved 27 June 2012.


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