Derek Ibbotson
MBE
Personal information
Birth nameGeorge Derek Ibbotson
NationalityBritish
Born(1932-06-17)June 17, 1932
Huddersfield, England
Died23 February 2017(2017-02-23) (aged 84)
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing  United Kingdom
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1956 Melbourne 5,000 metres

George Derek Ibbotson MBE (17 June 1932 – 23 February 2017) was an English runner who excelled in athletics in the 1950s. His most famous achievement was setting a new world record in the mile in 1957.[1]

Biography

Ibbotson was born in Huddersfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and studied at King James's Grammar School, Almondbury. He was of the generation that included other great British milers such as Roger Bannister, Chris Brasher and Christopher Chataway. He was the junior champion in Britain in 1951.

After service in the Royal Air Force, Ibbotson returned to competition. In 1956 at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, he won a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres. After the games, Ibbotson focused on the mile. Ibbotson began the 1957 season running in mile races, as a 5,000m or 3 mile runner would often do in the early part of the racing season - to race at a faster pace than he would need in those longer distances. After he had run a particularly fast mile at a Glasgow meeting, an experienced athletics official told the BBC that while it was a very good time, he and many others felt that Ibbotson’s greater potential was over 5,000m or 3 miles. In a race dubbed "mile of the century", Ibbotson won, the time was a new world record, taking 0.8 of a second off John Landy's time of 3.58 min set in 1954. Ibbotson continued competing in mile races throughout the season as well as some longer distance events - and ended the season exhausted.

Ibbotson never found the same form again. He represented England in the Empire Games at Cardiff in 1958, finishing tenth in the 3 miles.[2][3] Ibbotson soldiered on and in 1960, in a bid to enter the Rome Olympics, he copied Gordon Pirie who, when he was struggling for form, increased his racing and took part in shorter races than usual, because it was good speed training. Ibbotson was not so successful and was not selected. Ibbotson continued to compete for much of the 1960s. After a poor 1961 season, he found success on the Indoor circuit, becoming the 1962 European Indoor champion for Two Miles (8:47.8).[4]

He was one of many signatories in a letter to The Times on 17 July 1958 opposing 'the policy of apartheid' in international sport and defending 'the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games'.[5]

In 2004 he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Laws from the University of Hudersfield.[6] He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to athletics.[7] In 2011, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.

A qualified electrical engineer, he worked initially for the Coal Board but later was employed in sales, latterly as an executive and agent for Puma, the sportswear company. Turning later to squash, he became good enough to represent Yorkshire,[8] twice winning the Yorkshire veterans championship. He also played golf until he was in his 70s.[9]

Ibbotson was married twice. His first wife, Madeline Wooller was an English cross country international runner. They had three daughters together, Christine, Nicola and Georgina. Madeline and Ibbotson divorced. Years later Ibbotson fell in love and married Ann Parmenter. They had a daughter together, Joanna. Ann died in 1997.[10]

George Derek Ibbotson, born on 17 June 1932, died in Wakefield on 23 February 2017, aged 84.[11][12] A large crowd attended his funeral service led by The Vicar of Huddersfield, the Rev Canon Simon Moor, at St Peter’s Church in Huddersfield, who said Derek Ibbotson epitomised all that was life-enhancing about sport and noted that "two of Derek’s proudest achievements were being awarded his MBE in 2008 and receiving an honorary degree from Huddersfield University."[13]

References

  1. ↑ Kirklees Sporting Heroes - Derek Ibbotson MBE Retrieved 18 November 2012
  2. ↑ "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
  3. ↑ "1958 Athletes". Team England.
  4. ↑ "Derek Ibbotson". Racing Past. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  5. ↑ Brown and Hogsbjerg, Apartheid is not a game, 16
  6. ↑ "Honorary awards are a recognition of national and international success". University of Huddersfield. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "No. 58557". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2007.
  8. ↑ "Obituary - Derek Ibbotson, record-breaking athlete who ran the first sub four-minute mile in Scotland". The Herald. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  9. ↑ Rawling, John (6 March 2017). "Derek Ibbotson obituary. One of Britain's top athletes who set a world record for the mile in 1957". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  10. ↑ Rawling, John (6 March 2017). "Derek Ibbotson obituary. One of Britain's top athletes who set a world record for the mile in 1957". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "Four-minute mile legend Derek Ibbotson loses his battle against dementia aged 84". Mirror. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Rawling, John (6 March 2017). "Derek Ibbotson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "He had a wonderful life': Tributes to legendary Olympic athlete Derek Ibbotson at his funeral". YorkshireLive. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  • Brown, Geoff and Hogsbjerg, Christian. Apartheid is not a Game: Remembering the Stop the Seventy Tour campaign. London: Redwords, 2020. ISBN 9781912926589.
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