Achilles Club
| Founded | 1920 |
|---|---|
| Ground | Various Iffley Road, Oxford Adams Road, Cambridge |
| Location | Oxford Cambridge |
| Website | official website |
The Achilles Club is a track and field by and for the past and present representatives of the Oxford[1] and Cambridge Universities. As of 2025, members have won 19 Olympic gold medals and held 38 World Records.[2]
Membership
Athletes that have competed in the annual varsity match are invited to join the club, in addition to Blues, Half Blues, Cross Country, Marathon, Relay and Field Event Colours, members from Alverstone, Centipedes, Alligators and Millipedes representatives (the varsity second teams), and recommendations by the University Presidents.[2]
History
The club was formed in 1920.[3] One of its founding members was Evelyn Montague, who, along with Harold Abrahams, is portrayed in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.[4]
Olympians
- Athletics Olympians only and English unless stated
| Athlete | Events | Games | Medals/Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Gmelin (O) | 400 | 1896 | |
| George Robertson (O) | discus throw, shot put | 1896 | |
| Wesley Coe (O) | shot put | 1904, 1908 | |
| Eric Hussey (O) | 110h | 1908 | |
| Edward Leader (C) | 110h, high jump | 1908 | |
| Norman Hallows (O) | 1500, 3 mile team | 1908 | |
| Christopher Chavasse (O) | 400 | 1908 | |
| Edward Ryle (C) | 400 | 1908 | |
| Theodore Just (C) | 800, medley relay | 1908 | |
| Harold Holding (O) | 800 | 1908 | |
| Walter Henderson (O) | discus, Greek, javelin, slj, shj | 1908, 1912 | |
| Ernest May (O) | discus, Greek, javelin | 1908 | |
| Alfred Bellerby (C) | high jump, long jump | 1908 | |
| Alan Fyffe (O) | hammer | 1908 | |
| Robert Lindsay-Watson (C) | hammer | 1908 | |
| Charles Williams (C) | long jump | 1908 | |
| Wilfred Bleaden (O) | long jump, slj | 1908 | |
| Lionel Cornish (O) | long jump, slj | 1908 | |
| Arthur Anderson (C) | 100, 200 | 1912 | |
| Arnold Jackson (O) | 1500 | 1912 | |
| Philip Noel-Baker (C) | 800, 1500 | 1912 | |
| Norman Taber (O) | 1500, 3000 team | 1912 | |
| William Moore (O) | 1500, 3000 team | 1912 | |
| Duncan Macmillan (C) | 200 | 1912 | |
| Cyril Porter (O) | 3000 team, 5000 | 1912 | |
| Sidney Abrahams (C) | long jump | 1912 | |
| Bevil Rudd (O) | 400, 4x400, 800 | 1920 | |
| Harold Abrahams (C) | 100, 200, 4x100, long jump | 1920, 1924 | |
| William Seagrove (C) | 3000 team, 5000 | 1920, 1924 | |
| John Ainsworth-Davis (C) | 400, 4x400 | 1920 | |
| Guy Butler (C) | 4x400, 400 | 1920, 1924, 1928 | |
| Wilfrid Kent Hughes (O) | 400h | 1920 | |
| Edgar Mountain (C) | 800 | 1920, 1924 | |
| Arthur Porritt (O) | 100, 200 | 1924 | |
| Lord Burghley (C) | 110h, 400h, 4x400 | 1924, 1928, 1932 | |
| Leopold Partridge (C) | 110h | 1924 | |
| Hyla Stallard (C) | 800, 1500 | 1924 | |
| Douglas Lowe (C) | 4x400, 800, 1500 | 1924, 1928 | |
| Bayes Norton (O) | 200 | 1924 | |
| William Stevenson (O) | 4x400 | 1924 | |
| George Renwick (O) | 4x400 | 1924 | |
| David Johnson (O) | 400, 4x400 | 1924 | |
| Wilfrid Tatham (C) | 400h, 800 | 1924, 1928 | |
| Ralph Starr (C) | 800, 5000 | 1924, 1928 | |
| Clifford Davis (C) | 800 | 1924 | |
| Lawrence Roberts (C) | high jump | 1924 | |
| Robert Dickinson (O) | high jump | 1924 | |
| Arthur Willis (C) | high jump | 1924 | |
| Malcolm Nokes (O) | hammer | 1924, 1928 | |
| Chris Mackintosh (O) | long jump | 1924 | |
| James Campbell (C) | pole vault | 1924 | |
| Rex Woods (C) | shot put | 1924, 1928 | |
| George Weightman-Smith (C) | 110h | 1928 | |
| Wilfrid Kalaugher (O) | 110h, triple jump | 1928 | |
| Vernon Morgan (O) | 3000 steeplechase | 1928 | |
| Edward Smouha (C) | 4x100 | 1928 | |
| John Rinkel (C) | 400m, 4x400 | 1928 | |
| Roger Leigh-Wood (O) | 400m, 4x400 | 1928 | |
| Tom Livingstone-Learmonth (C) | 400h | 1928 | |
| Lance Percival (O) | 400h | 1928 | |
| Colin Gordon (O) | high jump | 1928 | |
| Howard Ford (C) | Decathlon | 1928 | |
| Carl van Geyzel (C) | high jump | 1928 | |
| James Cohen (C) | long jump | 1928 | |
| Reg Revans (C) | long jump | 1928 | |
| Laurence Bond (C) | pole vault | 1928 | |
| Robert Howland (C) | shot put | 1928 | |
| Roland Harper (O) | 110h | 1932 | |
| Jerry Cornes (O) | 1500 | 1932, 1936 | |
| Norwood Hallowell (O) | 1500 | 1932 | |
| Jack Lovelock (O) | 1500 | 1932, 1936 | |
| Tommy Hampson (C) | 800, 4x400 | 1932 | |
| Bob Tisdall (C) | 400h, decathlon | 1932 | |
| Alan Pennington (O) | 100, 200, 4x100 | 1936 | |
| John Thornton (C) | 110h | 1936 | |
| Ashleigh Pilbrow (O) | 110h | 1936 | |
| Vane Ivanović (C) | 110h | 1936 | |
| Gordon Brown (C) | 400m, 4x400 | 1936 | |
| Peter Ward (C) | 5000 | 1936, 1948 | |
| Josef Klein (C) | Decathlon | 1936 | |
| Helge Sivertsen (O) | discus | 1936 | |
| Robert Kennedy (C) | high jump | 1936 | |
| Richard Webster (C) | pole vault | 1936, 1948 | |
| Eric Prabhakar (O) | 100, 200 | 1948 | |
| Raymond Barkway (O) | 110h | 1948 | |
| John Fairgrieve (C) | 200 | 1948 | |
| Geoffrey Tudor (O) | 3000 steeplechase | 1948 | |
| Peter Curry (O) | 3000 steeplechase | 1948 | |
| Morville Chote (C) | javelin | 1948 | |
| Harry Askew (C) | long jump | 1948 | |
| Peter Hildreth (C) | 110h | 1952, 1956, 1960 | |
| Roger Bannister (O) | 1500 | 1952 | |
| Nicolas Stacey (O) | 200, 4x400 | 1952 | |
| Chris Brasher (C) | 3000 steeplechase | 1952, 1956 | |
| Alan Dick (O) | 4x400 | 1952 | |
| Angus Scott (C) | 400h | 1952 | |
| Christopher Chataway (O) | 5000 | 1952, 1956 | |
| Tim Anderson (C) | pole vault | 1952 | |
| Ian Boyd (O) | 1500 | 1956 | |
| Derek Johnson (O) | 4x400, 800 | 1956 | |
| Bob Shaw (O) | 400h | 1956 | |
| Tom Farrell (C) | 400h, 800 | 1956, 1960 | |
| Barclay Palmer (O) | shot put | 1956 | |
| Herb Elliott (C) | 1500 | 1960 | |
| Michael Palmer (C) | 3000 steeplechase | 1960 | |
| John Metcalf (O) | 400h | 1960 | |
| Bruce Tulloh (C) | 5000 | 1960 | |
| Ranjit Bhatia (O) | 5000 | 1960 | |
| Donal Smith (O) | 800 | 1960 | |
| Mike Parker (C) | 110h | 1964, 1968 | |
| Adrian Metcalfe (O) | 400, 4x400 | 1964 | |
| Wendell Mottley (C) | 400, 4x400 | 1964 | |
| Mike Hogan (O) | 400h | 1964 | |
| John Boulter (O) | 800, 1500 | 1964, 1968 | |
| Michael Ralph (O) | triple jump | 1964 | |
| Euric Bobb (C) | 4x400 | 1968 | |
| Martin Winbolt-Lewis (C) | 400, 4x400 | 1968 | |
| David Hemery (O) | 400h, 4x400 | 1968, 1972 | |
| Tim Johnston (C) | Marathon | 1968 | |
| Jon Ridgeon (C) | 110h, 400h | 1988, 1996 | |
| Richard Nerurkar (O) | 10000, marathon | 1992, 1996 | |
| Tim Berrett (O) | 20k walk, 50k walk | 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 | |
| Andy Baddeley (C) | 1500 | 2008, 2012 | |
| Mara Yamauchi (O) | marathon | 2008, 2012 | |
| Hatti Dean (O) | 3000M steeplechase injured | 2008 | |
| Julia Bleasdale (C) | 5000m, 10,000m | 2012 | |
| Claire Hallissey (C) | marathon | 2012 | |
| Louise Shanahan (C) | 800m | 2020 |
(key: O=Oxford C=Cambridge slj=standing long jump, shj=standing high jump)
References
- ^ "Achilles Club". OUAC. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Home". Achilles Club. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ "The Achilles Club". Westminster Gazette. 2 June 1920. Retrieved 8 April 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Evelyn Montague – Biography at Sports-Reference.com