Arthur Wint
 Wint wins the 1948 Olympic 400 m final | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 May 1920 Plowden, Jamaica, British Empire[1] |
| Died | 19 October 1992 (aged 72) Linstead, Jamaica |
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) |
| Military career | |
| Service | Royal Air Force |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| Event(s) | 400 m, 800 m ran in London |
| Club | Polytechnic Harriers, Westminster[1] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 400 m – 46.2 (1948) 800 m – 1:48.9y (1951)[1] |
Arthur Stanley Wint OD MBE (25 May 1920 – 19 October 1992) was a Jamaican Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot during the Second World War, sprinter, physician, and later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Competing at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, whilst a medical student at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, he won two gold and two silver medals, becoming the first Jamaican Olympic gold medalist.[2][3][4]
Biography
[edit]Arthur Wint, known as the Gentle Giant, was born in Plowden, Manchester, Jamaica. While at Calabar High School, he ran sprints and did both the high jump and long jump. He later transferred to Excelsior High School, where he finished his secondary education. In 1937 he was the Jamaica Boy Athlete of the year, and the following year won a gold medal in the 800 metres at the Central American Games in Panama.[1] Saving the money for his flight to europe
In 1942 he joined the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and set the Canadian 400-metre record while training there. He was sent to Britain for active combat during World War II as a pilot.[1] He left the Royal Air Force in 1947 to study medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital, through the British further education and vocational training scheme for ex-servicemen.[1][5]
In the 1948 London Games, Wint won Jamaica's first Olympic gold medal for the 400 metres (46.2 seconds), beating his team-mate Herb McKenley. In the 800 metres he won silver, after American Mal Whitfield's gold. Wint missed a probable third medal when he pulled a muscle in the 4 × 400 metres relay final.[1]
In Helsinki in 1952 he was part of the historic team setting the world record while capturing the gold in the 4 × 400 metres relay. He also won silver in the 800 metres, again coming second to Mal Whitfield.[1]
Wint ran his final race in 1953 at Wembley Stadium, finished his internship, and graduated as a doctor. The following year he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1954 New Year Honours.[6] In 1955 Wint returned to Jamaica, eventually settling in Hanover as the only resident doctor in the parish. In 1973 he was awarded the Jamaica honour of the Order of Distinction. He served as Jamaica's High Commissioner to Britain and ambassador to Sweden and Denmark from 1974 to 1978. He was inducted in the Black Athlete's Hall of Fame in the US (1977), the Jamaica Sports Hall of Fame (1989) and the Central American & Caribbean Athletic Confederation Hall of Fame (2003).[1]
Death and legacy
[edit]Wint died on Heroes Day in Linstead, aged 72.[1] His funeral was attended by hundreds of people, including the Jamaican Prime Minister.[7] In 2012, a Blue Heritage Plaque was unveiled at 22 Philbeach Gardens in Earls Court, London, where he lived while studying medicine.[8] At the same event, his daughter launched her book about him, titled The Longer Run.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Arthur Wint at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- ^ "Arthur WINT". Olympics.com. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ Cooper, David K. C. (2014). Doctors of Another Calling: Physicians Who Are Known Best in Fields Other than Medicine. Newark: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 421. ISBN 978-1-61149-466-2.
- ^ "Jamaica's first gold medallist Arthur Wint remembered". BBC News. 23 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Braithwaite, Lloyd (2001). "Foreword". Colonial West Indian Students in Britain. University of the West Indies Press. pp. vii. ISBN 978-976-640-052-1.
- ^ UK list: "No. 40053". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1953. p. 26.
- ^ Arthur Wint. wintworks.com
- ^ a b "Jamaica's Gentle Giant Honoured in London – Jamaica Information Service". jis.gov.jm. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
Further reading
[edit]- Johnson, Mark (2014). Caribbean Volunteers at War: The Forgotten Story of the RAF's 'Tuskegee Airmen'. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-78346-291-9.
- Wint, Valerie (2012). The Longer Run: A Daughter's Story of Arthur Wint. Ian Randle Publishers. ISBN 978-976-637-518-8.
External links
[edit]
- Arthur Wint at Olympics.com
- Arthur Wint at Olympic.org (archived)
- Arthur Wint at Olympedia (archive)
- Arthur Wint at World Athletics
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
- 1920 births
- 1992 deaths
- Jamaican male sprinters
- Jamaican male middle-distance runners
- Jamaican general practitioners
- Alumni of the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital
- Sportspeople from Manchester Parish
- High commissioners of Jamaica to the United Kingdom
- Ambassadors of Jamaica to Sweden
- Ambassadors of Jamaica to Denmark
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
- Officers of the Order of Distinction
- Olympic athletes for Jamaica
- Olympic gold medalists for Jamaica
- Olympic silver medalists for Jamaica
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Jamaica
- Competitors at the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games
- Competitors at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games
- Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics
- People educated at Calabar High School
- 20th-century Jamaican sportsmen