 Davies at the 1964 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Lynn the Leap |
| Born | (1942-05-20)20 May 1942 (age 83)[1] Nant-y-moel, Wales[2] |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | Long jump, sprint |
| Club | Roath Harriers Cardiff AAC[3] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | LJ – 8.23 m (1968) 100 m – 10.51 (1967) |
Lynn DaviesCBE (born 20 May 1942)[1] is a Welsh formertrack and field athlete who specialised in thelong jump. He wasthe 1964 Olympic champion in the event.
Davies was born inNantymoel nearBridgend[2] and was a member of theCardiff Amateur Athletic Club.[4]
He was the son of Tegfryn Davies, a miner, of 14 Commercial Street.[5] He attendedOgmore County Grammar School. He was in the 1st Ogmore Vale Scouts.[6] He played the piano.[7] He gained A-levels in Maths, English and History in 1960.[8] He trained to become a teacher at Cardiff Training College.
From September 1964 he taught at Bridgend Grammar School, until October 1965.[9]
He was a PE college lecturer at Cardiff College of Education from April 1966.
Davies, a member ofRoath Harriers, won anOlympic gold medal in the long jump in 1964 with a mark of 8.07 metres (26 ft 6 in), earning himself the nickname "Lynn the Leap" and winning the first ever long jump gold medal for Great Britain.[10]
He finished ninthin 1968, having been his nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. In 1964 he also competed in the100 metres and4×100 metres contests.[4] On 2 November 1964 he returned to a welcome from theGarw Valley andOgmore Valley, in a motorcade from Cardiff.[11] He was the first Welsh person to win individual Olympic gold in a field event.
He was 18th inthe 1972 Olympic long jump,[3] his selection being something of a surprise at the time.[citation needed]
Outside the Olympics, Davies was the1966 European champion in the long jump and was the silver medallistthree years later. He was also twice theCommonwealth Games champion, winning titlesin 1966 and1970 (becoming the first man to win that title twice).[3]
Davies was a five-timeBritish long jump champion after winning the BritishAAA Championships title in1964,1966,1967,1968 and1969.[12][13]
Davies was twice a winner of theBBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year award, taking the honour in 1964 and 1966. After retiring from competitions in 1973 he becametechnical director ofCanadian athletics until 1976 and later preparedthe British team for the Moscow Olympics.
Davies was appointed aCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the2006 Birthday Honours "for services to Sport, in particular Athletics."[14] He had previously been appointed aMember of the same order (MBE) in the1967 New Year Honours for services to athletics.[3][15] He was elected unopposed as President of theUK Athletics Members Council for a further four years following the close of nominations.[3]
His girlfriend was 21 year old Meriel Griffiths, an art teacher in Cardiff, and had plans for marriage took place when he returned from Japan. They had met at Cardiff Training College (nowCardiff Metropolitan University).[16]
He married on Tuesday 19 July 1966 inSketty. His wife presentedSion a Sian, a Welsh-language quiz show, with Dewi Richards and Jenny Jones, onTelevision Wales and the West.[17][18]
European Athletics Championships champions in men'slong jump | |
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Commonwealth Games champions in men'slong jump | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
