British Male Athletes

British middle-distance athlete and neurologist Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes. Before achieving such feat, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres during the 1952 Summer Olympics. In the medical field, Bannister became a neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford.

Steve Cram is a British former athlete who dominated the middle-distance running event during the 1980s alongside other athletes like Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe. During the summer of 1985, Cram set world records in the mile run, 2000m, and 1500m during a 19-day period. He is the first person to run 1500m under three-and-a-half minutes.

Known for his signature laughter, Kriss Akabusi is a former track and field athlete who has three Olympic bronze medals to his credit. He also became a European Champion in 1990, breaking a 22-year British 400m hurdles record. He had previously also been part of the British Army.

Apart from winning a gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Steve Ovett also set six world records. He once ruled the middle-distance running scene. A talented footballer in his teens, he later chose athletics, since he wanted to pursue a sport that wouldn’t make him dependent on his teammates.

Dwain Chambers is a British track sprinter known to be one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of athletics. He is the European record holder for the 60 meters with 6.42 seconds. He has won gold medals at the world and European levels in different tournaments. He faced a doping ban from 2006 to 2012. 

The great-grandson of English footballer Jock Rutherford, Greg Rutherford had a brief stint with Aston Villa football club before he focused on athletics. The Milton Keynes athlete won a gold at the 2012 London Olympics, while his 8.29m jump at the 2016 Rio Olympics won him a bronze medal.

Winner of the 1997 World Championship and the 1998 European Cup, British sprinter Iwan Thomas is the current UK 400m record holder, having run a time of 44.36s. He has also represented United Kingdom at the 1996 Olympic Games in the 400 metres.  A popular television personality, he makes regular appearances on small screen, mostly as guest, panelist or presenter.

Linford Christie is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter who won gold medals in the 100 meters at the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships, and the Commonwealth Games. He is one of the most highly decorated British athletes of all time. He was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1993. 

Daley Thompson is a British former athlete who specialized in decathlon. He has won gol medals in decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. He also broke the world record for decathlon on four occasions. He also won three Commonwealth titles and is regarded as the greatest decathlete ever. 

English track and field athlete is best remembered for his gold medal win in the 100m race at the Paris Olympics in 1924. Part of the Achilles Club, he and his exploits inspired the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Following his retirement, he became a broadcaster and sports administrator.

Allan Wells is a Scottish former athlete who specialized in sprinting. He represented Great Britain at the 1980 Moscow Olympics where he won a gold medal and a silver medal in the 100 meters and 200 meters events, respectively. Allan Wells also won gold medals at other important tournaments, such as the IAAF World Cup, Commonwealth Games, and European Cup.

British track and field athlete, Lawrence Okoye played rugby for his school before taking up discuss throw. She won gold medal at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships and thereafter competed in the 2012 London Olympics in the following year. Later, he concentrated on football, participating in the NLF, before returning to discuss throwing, securing first place at 2021 European Athletics Team Championships.

Sebastian Coe is a politician and former athlete who represented Great Britain in two Olympic events. He won four Olympic medals including two gold medals as a middle-distance runner. In 2012, he was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. The same year, Coe was honored at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. 

An enthusiastic runner since his student life, David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, began participating in professional events from the age of nineteen, eventually winning a gold medal in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1928 Olympic Games and a silver at 1932 Olympics. Also a Conservative Party member, he remained associated with different sports organizations even after his retirement.

Born in England and raised in the U.S., David Hemery competed for England as a hurdler and won the 400m gold at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He also has two Commonwealth gold medals to his credit. He owns the charity 21st Century Legacy and has penned several books, including a memoir.

Once a dentist, Charles Eugster stunned the world when he took to sprinting at age 95. In fact, he participated in age-group rowing in his 60s, winning countless gold medals, and also took up body building in his 80s. He penned his memoir, Age is Just a Number, at 97.

Alistair Brownlee made history by becoming the only athlete with two Olympics medals in the triathlon event. His brother, Jonathan Brownlee, too, is a star athlete. Born to a runner father and a swimmer mother, he was introduced to triathlon by Simon Hearnshaw, his uncle, who was also an avid athlete.

Apart from being a famed British athlete, Christopher William Brasher was also a skilled mountaineer, who was part of Edmund Hillary’s reserve team for his Everest mission and had led two missions to the Arctic. He was an award-winning journalist, too, but was best known for co-founding the London Marathon.

While just beginning his senior career, Scottish rugby player Sean Lamont also studied sports science at Sheffield Hallam University. He was named the Famous Grouse Player of the Season in 2007. He gained 105 caps for Scotland before he retired and later also coached the Scotland Blues.

Two time Olympics gold winner in the 800-metre races, Douglas Lowe was a champion runner since his school years. He won gold medals both at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics.He later took up law and served as the President of the Bar Council from 1961 to 1964. Douglas coauthored the book, Athletics, with fellow runner Arthur Porritt.

Nicknamed Jabba, Jamie Caven is a former English darts player with 7 PDC Pro Tour event wins. Though he lost his sight in his right eye in infancy, that didn’t stop him from winning the World Youth Masters champion at 17. He has been part of the PDPA Board of Directors.

Rabah Yousif, the son of Sudanese track and field champion Mohamed Yousif Bakhit, followed in his father’s footsteps. While he initially competed for Sudan, he later married an Englishwoman and eventually switched to the British side, gaining British citizenship. Among other medals, he has a European championship gold for Britain.

Known as The Mighty Atom, Sydney Charles Wooderson had a towering 5’6” frame. He went back from the 1936 Berlin Olympics wounded but was hopeful of gaining a medal in the subsequent Olympics, a dream that was never fulfilled due to World War II. He had two European Championship golds.