Malcolm Spence (South African athlete)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | 4 September 1937 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Died | 30 December 2010 (aged 73) Howick, South Africa |
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | 400m |
Medal record | |
Malcolm Clive Spence (4 September 1937 – 30 December 2010) was a South African athlete who competed at two Olympic Games.
Biography
[edit]Spence ran for South Africa in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia, finishing sixth in the 400 metres.[1]
Spence finished second behind John Salisbury in the 440 yards event at the British 1958 AAA Championships.[2][3][4] Shortly afterwards at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, he won silver in the individual event and was part of the team that won gold in the relay.[5] The latter was won with teammates Gordon Day, Gerald Evans and Gert Potgieter.
He also represented his country in the 400 metres in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy, where he won the bronze medal. Curiously, there were two people named Malcolm Spence running the 400 meters distance at the 1960 Olympics, both getting a bronze medal. Malcolm Spence from Jamaica was unable to get out of the semi-final round in the Open race. But the Jamaican, who shortened his name to Mal Spence, led off his British West Indian relay team which finished a second ahead of the South African relay team anchored by this Malcolm Spence.[1]
All sixteen of Malcolm Spence's great, great grandparents emigrated to South Africa from Kent, England.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ "Ibbotson quits... Pirie flops". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 13 July 1958. Retrieved 2 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.
- ^ Chris Barron (30 January 2011). "Obituary: Malcolm Spence: Humble SA track star". TimesLIVE. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012.
External links
[edit]- Malcolm Spence at Olympics.com
- Malcolm Spence at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- 1937 births
- 2010 deaths
- Athletes from Johannesburg
- South African people of English descent
- South African male sprinters
- Olympic bronze medalists for South Africa
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes for South Africa
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for South Africa
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for South Africa
- Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
- Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics
- Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Medallists at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- 20th-century South African sportsmen