Mike Butterfield
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 3 May 1953[1] Wakefield, England |
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | high jump |
| Club | Cardiff AAC RAF |
Michael Butterfield (born 3 May 1953) is an English retired athlete who specialised in the high jump.[2] He was the first British man to clear 7 feet (1975).[3][4]
Biography
Butterfield joined the Royal Air Force in 1970 aged just 17 and was a member of Cardiff AAC. He finished second behind Milton Palmer in the high jump event at the 1976 AAA Championships.[5][6][7][8]
Butterfield, a corporal in the RAF at the time, became the first man to jump over 7ft at the Cosford Indoor Arena on 15 March 1975[4] and became the first ever winner of the high jump at the inaugural 1977 UK Athletics Championships.
Indoors, he became national champion in 1976, with a new national record of 2.16. He also finished runner-up three times; in 1974 behind Irish James Fanning, and 1977 and 1978, both behind Mark Naylor.[9]
References
- ^ "Mike may leap for Olympic Honours". Sunday Express. 11 May 1975. Retrieved 1 June 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Hartley pulls out". Belfast Telegraph. 8 January 1976. Retrieved 1 June 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ 'Mike Butterfield: Vintage Photograph'. IMS Vintage Photos, undated. Retrieved 1 March 2025
- ^ a b "RAF's Mike soars to 7ft High jump record". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 17 March 1975. Retrieved 1 June 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Weekend sport". Birmingham Daily Post. 16 August 1976. Retrieved 1 June 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Stewart Mystery". Sunday Mirror. 3 August 1975. Retrieved 1 June 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
- ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "NUTS - AAA Indoor Championships Medallists - High Jump".