Wayne Athorne
Encyclopedia
Wayne John Athorne is a former national decathlon
champion and Commonwealth Games
competitor. He was also an Australian rules football
er with Hawthorn
in the Victorian Football League
(VFL).
Athorne played his early football at Xavier College
and trialled at Melbourne
before making his VFL debut for Hawthorn in a win over Carlton
at Glenferrie Oval
in the 1961 season
. Hawthorn went on to win their first ever premiership that season. The following year he left football to pursue his love of athletics.
As a decathlete, Athorne finished second to John O'Neill in the 1965 Australian Open Track & Field Championships
. He went one better in 1966 at Perry Lakes Stadium
in Perth
and won the decathlon, by just 30 points over South Australian John Hamann.
Having become the Australian champion, Athorne competed in the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
, held in Jamaica
. He finished fifth in the 120 yards hurdles heats in 15.34 seconds. In the decathlon he amassed 710 points before an injury to his right knee, sustained in the long jump, forced him to withdraw. The injury meant he was unable to take up a scholarship to University of California, Santa Barbara
, which had been offered to him.
In 1975, Athorne confessed to taking performance enhancing drugs for the three months leading up to the Commonwealth Games. He took Dianabol
, an anabolic steroid
, which was banned by the International Olympic Committee
in 1967.
Athorne later spoke on radio about how steroids would not prove effective for Australian rules footballers - a subject he was uniquely placed to comment on.
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
champion and Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
competitor. He was also an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er with Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL).
Athorne played his early football at Xavier College
Xavier College
Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and trialled at Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
before making his VFL debut for Hawthorn in a win over Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
at Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is the historic home of and is synonymous with the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from 1903 and as a VFL/AFL club from 1925–1973, and retained the ground as an...
in the 1961 season
1961 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1961.-Premiership season:In 1961, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...
. Hawthorn went on to win their first ever premiership that season. The following year he left football to pursue his love of athletics.
As a decathlete, Athorne finished second to John O'Neill in the 1965 Australian Open Track & Field Championships
Australian Championships in Athletics
The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athletes wishing to compete at the Olympic Games,...
. He went one better in 1966 at Perry Lakes Stadium
Perry Lakes Stadium
Perry Lakes Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium adjacent to Perry Lakes in Floreat, Western Australia, Australia. It was built and funded by the State Government and the City of Perth in 1962 for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and had a nominal capacity of 30,000...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and won the decathlon, by just 30 points over South Australian John Hamann.
Having become the Australian champion, Athorne competed in the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Kingston, Jamaica from 4 August to 13 August 1966. This was the first time that the Games had been held outside the so-called White Dominions....
, held in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. He finished fifth in the 120 yards hurdles heats in 15.34 seconds. In the decathlon he amassed 710 points before an injury to his right knee, sustained in the long jump, forced him to withdraw. The injury meant he was unable to take up a scholarship to University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, which had been offered to him.
In 1975, Athorne confessed to taking performance enhancing drugs for the three months leading up to the Commonwealth Games. He took Dianabol
Methandrostenolone
Methandrostenolone is an orally-effective anabolic steroid originally developed by John Ziegler and released in the US in the early 1960s by Ciba. It was used as an aid to muscle growth by bodybuilders until its ban by Congress under the Controlled Substances Act...
, an anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
, which was banned by the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
in 1967.
Athorne later spoke on radio about how steroids would not prove effective for Australian rules footballers - a subject he was uniquely placed to comment on.