Arthur James Robertson (19 April 1879 – 18 April 1957) was a British runner who competed at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

in London. He won the gold medal in the 3-mile team race and a silver in the

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

Biography

Robertson born in Sheffield, was the son of a

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

doctor and was educated at

Kelvinside Academy Kelvinside Academy is a private day school in Glasgow, Scotland, founded in 1878. It has a capacity of over 600 pupils and spans two years of Nursery, six years of Junior School (primary school), a transition year of Senior Preparatory, and six ...

, Glasgow, before moving to King's School, Peterborough at the age of 14. A brilliant all-round sportsman, he initially concentrated on cycling and only took up serious athletics at the age of 25, after a cycling injury. In 1906, he joined

Birchfield Harriers Birchfield Harriers is an sport of athletics, athletics club, founded in 1877. Its home is at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, England. As well as welcoming recreational runners they cater for all levels of experience up to and including Olympi ...

. In March 1908 he won both the English and International Cross-Country Championships and a second-place finish in the 4 mile race at the

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

earned him a place at the Olympics. Robertson represented

Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed as the host nation of the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The British Olympic Association was the National Olympic Committee responsible for organising the United King ...

in London. Robertson won easily in the first round of the 3200 metres

, finishing in 11:10.0. In the final, he trailed for most of the race. At the bell, he passed one of the two then-leaders, American

John Eisele John Eisele (''John Lincoln Eisele;'' January 18, 1884 – March 30, 1933) was an American athlete. He won the silver medal in the 3 mile team race and bronze medal in the 3,200 meters steeplechase at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. Eisele ...

. Robertson was not quite able to catch the other leader, however, and trailed fellow Briton Arthur Russell by two yards at the finish. His final time was 10:48.4. At the same Olympics he won gold as a member of the 5-man 3 mile team race with Joe Deakin, William Coales,

Norman Hallows Norman Frederick Hallows (29 December 1886 – 16 October 1968) was an English middle-distance runner who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Biography Hallows was educated at Felsted School and Keble College, Oxford (University of Oxford ...

and

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

; the first Olympic gold won by a Scottish and Birchfield athlete. He also participated in the five miles event and finished fifth. His brother

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

was a member of the British cycling team at the same olympics. On 13 September 1908 Robertson set a world record at 15:01.2 over 5,000 metres, running on a concrete cycle track in Stockholm. He retired from athletics after 1909 season and returned to cycling. Later, together with his brother, he ran a sports shop in

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

, and then passed it over to his son. Robertson finished second behind Eddie Owen (1 mile) and Emil Voigt (4 miles) at the 1909 AAA Championships. Robertson was posthumously inducted into the Scottish Sporting Hall of Fame in 2004. In January 2010, a new

J D Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoon (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a British pub company operating in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based ...

pub in

Perry Barr Perry Barr is a suburban area in north Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is also the name of a Government of Birmingham, England#Council constituencies, council constituency, managed by its own ...

, Birmingham (close to

Perry Barr Stadium Perry Barr Stadium (also known as Perry Barr Greyhound Stadium and previously as Alexander Sports Ground(s)) is a Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom, greyhound racing and motorcycle speedway stadium on Aldridge Road in Perry Barr, Birmin ...

, the former home of Birchfield Harriers) was named 'The Arthur Robertson' in his honour.

References

External links

Databaseolympics.com
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Archie 1879 births 1957 deaths People educated at Kelvinside Academy People educated at The King's School, Peterborough Sportspeople from Peterborough Athletes from Sheffield Scottish male long-distance runners British male long-distance runners British male steeplechase runners Scottish male steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics Scottish Olympic competitors Birchfield Harriers International Cross Country Championships winners Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)

Biography

References

Further reading

External links