Tommy Green (athlete)
Thomas William Green | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Fareham, Hampshire, England |
| Died | March 29, 1975 (aged 80) Eastleigh, Hampshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Racewalker, publican, sports promoter and administrator |
| Known for | Winning gold medal in men's 50 km racewalk at 1932 Summer Olympics |
Thomas William Green (30 March 1894 – 29 March 1975) was a distinguished British racewalker who secured the gold medal in the men's 50 km racewalk event during the 1932 Summer Olympics. The son of a police officer, Green overcame early childhood rickets, which delayed his ability to walk until he was five years old. At the age of 12, he misrepresented his age to enlist in the British Army in 1906. He served during the First World War, sustaining three wounds and suffering severe gas exposure in France. Post-war, Green settled in Eastleigh, working at a railway workshop before embarking on racewalking, inspired by encouragement from a visually impaired friend.
Green’s athletic prominence emerged in the late 1920s and reached its zenith in the 1930s when he became the first British athlete to claim both the national and Olympic titles in the 50 km racewalk. His competitive form continued through the mid-1930s; however, he placed fourth at the 1936 National Championships, missing out on selection for that year’s Olympic Games. Following his retirement from competition, he pursued a career as a publican and later took on roles as a sports promoter and administrator. His contributions are commemorated by the Tommy Green Walk in Eastleigh.
Early life
Born on 30 March 1894 in Fareham, Hampshire, England, Green came from an Anglican family; his father Tom served as a police constable. Struggling with rickets during childhood, he was unable to walk until age five. Leaving formal education at twelve, he briefly worked as a butcher’s assistant before joining the British Army’s 20th Hussars in 1906 by falsifying his age. After being invalided out due to a horse-riding accident in 1910, he was recalled for service during World War I. Serving with the 3rd The King's Own Hussars in France, he endured three wounds and severe gas exposure that necessitated his return to Britain in 1917.
Athletic career
After settling in Eastleigh, Green found employment at Eastleigh Railway Works, specializing in train and carriage maintenance. Initially training as a boxer and long-distance runner, he began racewalking at age 32, winning his debut race in 1926 and joining the Belgrave Harriers. His breakthrough year came in 1929 with multiple national victories and a second-place finish in an international 100 km event held in Milan.
In 1930, Green established a world record and became Britain’s inaugural national champion over 50 km racewalking. Following further domestic triumphs, he won the international 100 km competition in Milan. These achievements secured him a place at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where at age 38 he claimed gold in the first-ever men’s 50 km walk event—a record for oldest winner that stood as of 2008. His participation decreased during 1933–34 but he resumed training with hopes of competing at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He finished second to Harold Whitlock in 1935 but dropped to fourth place in 1936, failing to qualify for Berlin where Whitlock took gold with a world record performance.
Later life
Following his retirement from competitive athletics after 1936, Green shifted careers to become a publican after sustaining a thumb injury at Eastleigh Railway Works in 1934. At age 53, he participated in a post-Second World War Victory Walk event, finishing seventeenth among one hundred forty-six competitors. His final competitive appearance resulted in victory during a 1946 race from Poole to Wareham. In later years, Green actively promoted local sports and served as President of the Eastleigh Cricket Association. He passed away on 29 March 1975 in Eastleigh, where Tommy Green Walk was named to honor his legacy.