Eric Shirley (born 3 April 1929) is a former steeplechase athlete who competed at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

and

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

Biography

Shirley finished third behind Ken Johnson in the 3,000 metres

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, ...

event at the 1954 AAA Championships. Shirley became the British 3,000 metres steeplechase champion after winning the British

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 ...

title at the 1956 AAA Championships. Later that year he ran the 3,000 metres steeplechase final at the 1956 Olympics Games in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, with team mates

Chris Brasher Christopher William Brasher CBE (21 August 1928 – 28 February 2003) was a British track and field athlete, Olympic champion, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon. Early life and education Born in Georgetown, British Gui ...

and

John Disley John Ivor Disley CBE (20 November 1928 – 8 February 2016) was a Welsh athlete. He competed mainly in the 3000 metres steeplechase before co-founding the London Marathon and becoming active in sports promotion and administration. Biography ...

, coming in 8th with a time of 8.57. He also competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome Italy. Shirley was a member of Finchley Harriers and won a third AAA title at the

1960 AAA Championships The 1960 AAA Championships was the 1960 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 15 to 16 July 1960 at White City Stadium White City Stadium in London ...

. At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, he represented

for the second time in the steeplechase event. By trade, Shirley was a property developer but also took administration roles in the sport of athletics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirley, Eric 1929 births Living people British male middle-distance runners British male steeplechase runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Great Britain