| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English/Jamaican) |
| Born | (1954-07-22)22 July 1954 (age 71) St Catherine,Jamaica |
| Height | 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) |
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Sprints |
| Club | Birchfield Harriers |
Ainsley Bennett (born 22 July 1954) is a British former sprinter fromBirmingham, England, who competed at the1976 Summer Olympics.[1]
Born in Jamaica but brought up in Birmingham, England, Bennett attended Naseby Secondary Modern School (now Park View), in the area known asAlum Rock, Birmingham. This school also produced a Republic of Ireland International cross-country runner, Paul O'Callaghan, who competed in six World Cross Country Running Championships.
Ainsley competed forBirchfield Harriers based inPerry Barr in North Birmingham and finished third behind AmericanMark Lutz in the 200 metres event at the1974 AAA Championships.[2] The following year he was runner-up behind another AmericanSteve Riddick in both the 100 and 200 metres events at the1974 AAA Championships but by virtue of being the highest placed British athlete in those events he was considered the both theBritish 100 metres champion and theBritish 200 metres champion.[3]
At the 1976 Olympics Games inMontreal, he representedGreat Britain, where he reached the semi-finals of the men's 200m sprint race, as well as being one of the men's 4 × 400 m relay team which failed to progress further than the first heats.[1]
Bennett was on the podium at the AAA Championships twice more in 1976 and 1979[4] and won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the1983 World Championships in Athletics inHelsinki, with teammatesGarry Cook,Todd Bennett andPhilip Brown, in a time of 3:03.53, finishing behind theSoviet Union andWest Germany.
After finishing his athletics career, Bennett founded an events management and corporate hospitality business using his contacts to specialise in tickets.[citation needed] Bennett is also a Trustee forBirchfield Harriers.[citation needed]
