- Arthur Wint
Arthur Stanley Wint (
May 25 ,1920 –October 19 ,1992 ) was the firstJamaica n Olympic gold medalist, winning the 400 m at1948 Summer Olympics .Arthur Wint, known as the "Gentle Giant", was born in
Plowden ,Manchester, Jamaica . In 1937 he was the Jamaica Boy Athlete of the year, the following year he won a gold medal in the 800 m at theCentral American Games inPanama .In 1942 he joined the
Royal Air Force and set the Canadian 400 m record while training there. He was sent to Britain for active combat during theWorld War II as a pilot. He left the Royal Air Force in 1947 to attendSt Bartholomew's Hospital as a medical student.In 1948 Wint won Jamaica’s first Olympic gold for the 400 m (46.2) in
London , beating his team-mateHerb McKenley . In 800 m he won silver after AmericanMal Whitfield . He probably missed his third medal in London Games by pulling a muscle in the 4 x 400 m relay final.In
Helsinki 1952 he was part of the historic team setting the world record while capturing the gold in 4 x 400 m relay. He also won silver in 800 m, again coming second to Mal Whitfield.He ran his final race in 1953 at Wembley Stadium, finished his internship, graduated as a doctor and the following year he was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1955 Wint returned to Jamaica eventually settling in Hanover as the only resident doctor in the parish. In 1973 he was awarded the Jamaica honour of the Order of Distinction. He served as Jamaica's High Commissioner to Britain from 1974 to 1978. He was inducted in the Black Athlete’s Hall of Fame in the US (1977), the Jamaica Sports Hall of Fame (1989) and the Central American & Caribbean Athletic Confederation Hall of Fame (2003).
Arthur Wint died in
Linstead , aged 72.External links
* [http://www.wintworks.com/ Arthur Wint - A Jamaican Hero]
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