Brian Shenton
Encyclopedia
Brian Shenton (15 March 1927 – 9 May 1987)was a track and field
sprinter. Born in Doncaster from a working class background, he was a member of the Doncaster Plant Works Athletic Club, later having a successful career in the City and reaching the position of Chairman of Noble Lowndes. He died in a car crash soon after retirement.
Brian Shenton represented Great Britain
in the men's 200 metres and men's 4x100 metres relay at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1952
.
He won the gold medal at the 1950 European Athletics Championships in Brussels, Belgium in the men's 200 metres in a time of 21.5s as part of the British team that first topped the medal table with a medal count that would not be matched for a further 40 years . He won the silver medal at the 1954 European Championships in Berne, Switzerland in the men's 4x100 metres relay, alongside George Ellis, Kenneth Jones and Kenneth Box
.
Representing England
he won the silver medal at the 1950 British Empire Games
in Auckland, New Zealand in the 4x110 yard relay and won an individual silver medal in the 220 yard dash at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
in Vancouver, Canada.
.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
sprinter. Born in Doncaster from a working class background, he was a member of the Doncaster Plant Works Athletic Club, later having a successful career in the City and reaching the position of Chairman of Noble Lowndes. He died in a car crash soon after retirement.
Brian Shenton represented Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in the men's 200 metres and men's 4x100 metres relay at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1952
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
.
He won the gold medal at the 1950 European Athletics Championships in Brussels, Belgium in the men's 200 metres in a time of 21.5s as part of the British team that first topped the medal table with a medal count that would not be matched for a further 40 years . He won the silver medal at the 1954 European Championships in Berne, Switzerland in the men's 4x100 metres relay, alongside George Ellis, Kenneth Jones and Kenneth Box
Kenneth Box
Kenneth James Box is a retired track and field sprinter, who represented Great Britain in the men's 100m and men's 4x100m relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia....
.
Representing England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
he won the silver medal at the 1950 British Empire Games
1950 British Empire Games
The 1950 British Empire Games was the fourth edition of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand between the 4th and 11th of February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the 3rd edition of the games...
in Auckland, New Zealand in the 4x110 yard relay and won an individual silver medal in the 220 yard dash at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Vancouver, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 30 July-7 August 1954. These were the first games since the name change from British Empire Games took effect in 1952....
in Vancouver, Canada.
Career
Brian Shenton came to public attention in 1950 with a series of good performances, culminating in a place at the European Championships as a replacement. Described as the "boy from nowhere", he set a new personal best in the semi-finals of 21.6s, in the finals beating off the challenge of Étienne BallyÉtienne Bally
Étienne Marcel Bally is a retired French sprinter and a former European champion over 100 metres.Bally's first major competition was the 1946 European Championships held in Oslo, where he finished fourth in the final of the 100 metres—his time was equal to that of the bronze medalist, Carlo...
.