David Carr (15 June 1932 – 18 July 2023) was an Australian masters

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete, known for running middle distance races. He is the current

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

holder in the M75

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

, the M80

Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

2000 metres steeplechase The 2000 Metres Steeplechase is a rarely run senior athletics and a standard youth athletics event for the steeplechase in track and field. The event was part of the athletics programme for boys and girls at the IAAF World Youth Championships in ...

and as a member of the

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track and field, track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap, totaling 1600 meters. It is traditionally the final event of ...

team.

Athletic achievements

In the

World Masters Athletics Championships The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes 35 years of age or ...

, in the 800 metres, Carr has won the gold medal in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2015. He took silver behind Janusz Kociszewski in 2008 and 2005, with silvers also in 1987 and 1993. He was bronze medalist behind Earl Fee in 1997. He won the 1500 metres in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2015, with a silver in 2003 and bronze in 2011. He also won the steeplechase in 2011, 2013 and 2015 after taking silver in 2009. In the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

he won the world title in 2009, 2013 and 2015 along with a bronze in 1993. In 2008 and 2009 he was awarded the Brian Foley award by Australian Masters Athletics for the best age-graded 800 metre/1500 metre performances in those years. Carr came in second in worldwide voting for the best masters athlete of 2015. Carr was involved in the sport from 1948, with time out for service in the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

and as a teacher. He began running in the Masters division in 1974 and went to his first World Championship in 1980. In local meets he has tried most events in the sport.

Personal life and death

David Carr was born on 15 June 1932. He died on 18 July 2023, at the age of 91 from metastatic melanoma.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, David 1932 births 2023 deaths Australian male middle-distance runners Australian male steeplechase runners World record holders in masters athletics Place of birth missing 20th-century Australian sportsmen