Ken Matthews (race walker)
Matthews at the 1964 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 21 June 1934 Birmingham, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2 June 2019 (aged 84) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Race walking | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Royal Sutton Coldfield Walking Club | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 42:35.6 (10 km, 1960) 1.28:15 (20 km, 1960) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kenneth Joseph Matthews, MBE (21 June 1934 – 2 June 2019)[1] was a British race walker, who won the Olympic (1964) and European (1962) titles in the 20 km walk.
Biography
From 1957 Matthews worked as an electrician at a local power plant at Hams Hall near Sutton Coldfield and had to take a paid leave for competitions. Matthews was the British 2 miles walk champion in 1959, 1961,[2] 1962, 1963 and 1964. Additionally he was British 7 miles walk champion in 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963 and 1964.[3][4]
He took part in the 1960 Olympics, but failed to finish the 20 km race. He won the same event at the 1964 Games in a new Olympic record of 1.29:34. He was the only one of the four gold medallists from Great Britain who was not appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) soon afterwards in recognition of his achievement. Following a public outcry, he belatedly received the honours, for services to race walking, in the 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours.[5][6][7]
Matthews also won the European title in 1962[6] and twice the Lugano Trophy (1961 and 1963).[5]
In 2007, he was the guest of honour at Hawarden High School for the Year 11 Record Of Achievement. In 2011, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.[8]
He died on 2 June 2019, aged 84. An inquest concluded in early January 2020 that his death was the result of an unknown allergic reaction.[9]
References
- ^ Olympic champion race walker Ken Matthews dies
- ^ "Results". Sunday Express. 16 July 1961. Retrieved 5 May 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ken Matthews". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b Sam Knight (9 June 2012) Kenneth Matthews, Great Britain. FT Magazine.
- ^ United Kingdom: "No. 47234". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1977. p. 7097.
- ^ "2011 Hall of Fame Inductees". England Athletics. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Olympian Ken Matthews died after 'unknown' allergic reaction". BBC News. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.