Nigel Chase Barker (26 February 1883 – 31 July 1948) was an Australian

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete, who is regarded as holder of Australia's first athletics world record, in the 400 yards, and is an Intercalated Games bronze medalist. Barker was born in Sydney and attended

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

(1895–1901) and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

. He is described in the official Olympic history of Australia as "an outstanding all-rounder". He played representative

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and was twice selected for Australia in rugby but was forced to decline on both occasions. In 1904, Barker was selected for the St. Louis Games, but injured an ankle playing rugby. A public subscription raised the funds for Barker to compete in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...

for the

1906 Intercalated Games The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games i ...

, at the games he competed in two events, first up was the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

, in the first round he finished in second place behind

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

n Lawson Robertson, in the semi-finals he finished second again, one yard behind another American William Eaton, in the final, running from lane 2, he finished in third place for the bronze medal behind another two Americans,

Archie Hahn Charles Archibald Hahn (September 14, 1880 – January 21, 1955) was an American track athlete and is widely regarded as one of the best sprinters of the early 20th century. He is the first athlete to win both the 100m and 200m race at the sam ...

and Fay Moulton. On the same day as the 100 metres final, he also competed 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 on ...

, in his first-round heat he won in a time of 53 seconds and qualified for the final, after a couple of days' rest he finished again in bronze medal position behind

Paul Pilgrim Paul Henry Pilgrim (October 26, 1883 – January 8, 1958) was an American runner. He competed at the 1904, 1906 and 1908 Olympics and won three gold medals in 1904 and 1906. At the 1904 Summer Olympics, Pilgrim failed to complete the 400 m and ...

and

James Lightbody James Davies Lightbody (March 16, 1882 – March 2, 1953) was an American middle distance runner, winner of six Olympic medals (two of which are no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee following its downgrading o ...

. At the end of his athletic career Barker had won ten National Championship titles from 1903 to 1910. Since 2012,

have awarded out a Nigel C Barker Medal for Sport Achievement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Nigel 1883 births 1948 deaths Australian male sprinters Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Athletes (track and field) at the 1906 Intercalated Games Olympic athletes of Australia Australian rugby union players People educated at Newington College Medalists at the 1906 Intercalated Games Rugby union players from Sydney Athletes from Sydney