.jpg) Hewson at a dog race in 1959 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | (1933-04-04)4 April 1933 Croydon, Surrey, England |
| Died | 13 September 2022(2022-09-13) (aged 89) South Africa |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | 800 m, 1500 m |
| Club | Mitcham AC |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | 800 m – 1:47.0 (1958) 1500 m – 3:41.1 (1958)[1][2] |
Medal record | |
Brian Stanford Hewson (4 April 1933 – 13 September 2022) was a middle-distance runner who representedGreat Britain at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. He won the gold medal in the1500 metres at the 1958 European Championships.[1]
Hewson was one of the first men to run afour-minute mile, clocking 3:59.8 at theWhite City Stadium inLondon on 28 May 1955. As he placed third toLászló Tábori andChris Chataway, he became the first to run a mile in less than four minutes and not finish in the top two; before that race, onlyRoger Bannister andJohn Landy had run a four-minute mile.[3][4][5]
Hewson was born inCroydon, Surrey. He went to Pollards Hill Junior School, Pollards Hill, London and continued his education at Mitcham Grammar School, Mitcham, London, followed by aged 16 learning every aspect of tailoring at theRegent Street Polytechnic, London.
Hewson started running whilst attending Mitcham Grammar School. In 1947 he began to run quarter miles and won the Mitcham Schools Championship. Cecil Dale ofMitcham Athletics Club saw this win and as a result awarded Hewson a scholarship to Mitcham A.C.. He was then introduced to Frank Drew one of the club's coaches who then became Hewson's first coach. In his last year as a Youth he ran the 880 in 1:59.4. In his first year as a Junior he won the A.A.A. Junior 880 title in a record time of 1:55.3.
Hewson became theBritish 880 yards champion after winning the BritishAAA Championships title at the1953 AAA Championships[6] and successfully defended the title the following year at the1954 AAA Championships.[7] He represented theEnglish team at the1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Vancouver, Canada,[8] where he won the silver medal in the880 yards event.[9]
Sadly in April 1955 Hewson's coach Frank Drew died. He was then introduced to Austrian coachFranz Stampfl who was already coachingChris Chataway. At this time Hewson moved up to run the mile. Then on 28 May 1955, at the British Games Meeting in London, he became only the fourth = man in the world to run afour-minute mile, running 3:59.8 the same time achieved by Chris Chataway in this same race which was won byLászló Tábori in a time of 3:59.00, but where Hewson was placed third in the race.
ASub-4 Minute Mile Register chronicles all of the sub 4-minute milers between 1954 - 2002.
Hewson came second in his heat for the 1500 metres on 29 November in a time of 3:48.0. In the1500 metres final Hewson was leading in the final straight, only to be then passed by four men. The race was won byRon Delany in a time of 3:41.2. Hewson came fifth in a time of 3:42.6.
1958 was Hewson's best season, in addition to winning a gold medal in the European Games, he also produced his best times over the half mile and the mile and their metric equivalent times, which when added to his record performances of previous years made him the fastest-ever Englishman over 880 yards, running a personal best in 1958 of 1:47.0, 1000 metres, 1000 yards and 1500 metres running a personal best in 3:41.1, whilst onlyDerek Johnson had run faster over 800 metres andRoger Bannister andDerek Ibbotson had run faster over the mile.
Hewson won a gold medal in theMen's 1500 metres at The European Championships in Stockholm on 24 August 1958 in a time of 3:41.9. He also regained his AAA title at the1958 AAA Championships and won a fourth AAA title at the1959 AAA Championships.[10]
Hewson damaged a calf muscle six weeks before the Rome Olympics and so selectors insisted he run the 800 metres. In his qualifying heat he led for 700 metres before being passed by three runners, meaning that he came fourth and so was eliminated from the800 metres final.
Having retired from athletics after the Rome Olympics, Hewson continued working atSimpson's of Piccadilly, London as a tailor, before setting up his own tailoring company in the East End of London. Clothing, sport, fashion and retailing were to shape his working career, where he became women's fashion buyer for English Lady and subsequently sportwear and sporting goods buyer forDebenhams. He then joined the Incentive Group where he was involved in the design and manufacture of corporate uniforms for major UK multi-national companies.[11]
Hewson married Roberta E. "Bobby" Bassford in 1957, but the marriage was annulled on the grounds that she had refused to consummate the marriage. He married Alison Blaiklock, a secretary, in 1963; the couple had three children, James, Caroline and Charles. They divorced in 1980 and Hewson was remarried to Marion Stiff and had four stepchildren Tim, Sally, Robert and Penny.[12]
Hewson died on 13 September 2022, at the age of 89.[12][13]
European Athletics Championships champions in men's1500 metres | |
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