Geoff Parsons (athlete)

Geoff Parsons
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born14 August 1964
Margate, England
Height203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Eventhigh jump
ClubLondon Athletic Club
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Scotland
Commonwealth Games
1986 Edinburgh High jump
1990 Auckland High jump
1994 Victoria High jump

Geoffrey Peter Parsons (born 14 August 1964) is an English born high jumper who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics and represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.[1]

Biography

Parsons represented Scotland at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, participating in the high jump competition where he finished in 7th place. The following year at the 1983 AAA Championships, Parsons became the British high jump champion despite finishing 5th because he was the highest placed British athlete.[2]

He began to dominate British high jumping and was British champion again in 1984 shortly before he represented Great Britain at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.[1] Parsons won the AAA Championships title outright at the 1986 AAA Championships and would successfully defend the title in 1987 and 1988.[3]

Before going to his second Olympics in 1988, Parsons had recorded his best career achievement by claiming a silver medal when representing Scotland in the high jump at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.[4] His next Olympic appearance ensued where he finished 16th at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.[1]

In addition to his AAA titles, he was three-times UK Athletics Championships champion (1985, 1986 and 1988) and won two bronze medals at consecutive Commonwealth Games in 1990 and 1994.

His personal best jump was 2.31 metres, achieved at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria on the 26 August 1994.[5] He was trained by Ron Murray.

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing  Great Britain and  Scotland
1982 Commonwealth Games Brisbane, Australia 7th 2.16 m
1984 European Indoor Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 15th 2.15 m
1986 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 3rd 2.28 m
Goodwill Games Moscow, Soviet Union 8th 2.25 m
Commonwealth Games Edinburgh, United Kingdom 2nd 2.28 m
European Championships Stuttgart, West Germany 9th 2.21 m
1987 Universiade Zagreb, Yugoslavia 6th 2.24 m
World Championships Rome, Italy 10th 2.25 m
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 16th 2.15 m
1989 Universiade Duisburg, West Germany 4th 2.28 m
1990 Commonwealth Games Auckland, New Zealand 3rd 2.23 m
European Championships Split, Yugoslavia 16th 2.20 m
1991 Universiade Sheffield, United Kingdom 5th 2.20 m
1994 Commonwealth Games Victoria, Canada 3rd 2.31 m PB

References

  1. ^ a b c "Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  2. ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  3. ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Edinburgh 1986 Team". Team England. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  5. ^ Commonwealth All-Time Lists (Men) – GBR Athletics