Ronald Cecil John Pavitt (15 September 1926 – 31 January 1988) was a British

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

who competed in the men's

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

and the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

Biography

In 1944, Pavitt won the AAA Southern Area junior title and in 1946 won the two titles at the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Championship. Pavitt was a radio mechanic with the Royal Navy Air Command at the time but would later work for Lyons food. Additionally in 1946 he finished second behind

Alan Paterson Alan Sinclair Paterson (11 June 1928 – 8 May 1999) was a British track and field athlete who competed in the high jump. He was one of Europe's best high jumpers during the immediate post-World War II period. He was the champion at the Europe ...

in the high jump event at the 1946 AAA Championships. Pavitt finished second again, this time behind Adegboyega Adedoyin at the

1947 AAA Championships The 1947 AAA Championships was the 1947 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 18 to 19 July 1947 at White City Stadium in London, England. Summary The ...

. Pavitt represented the Great Britain team at the 1948 Olympic Games in London before finishing second for the third and fourth time at the

1949 AAA Championships The 1949 AAA Championships was the 1949 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 15 to 16 July 1949 at White City Stadium in London, England. Summary The ...

and

1950 AAA Championships The 1950 AAA Championships was the 1950 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 14 to 15 July 1950 at White City Stadium in London, England. Summary The ...

, Alan Paterson proving his nemesis again on both occasions. Pavitt represented the England team in the high jump at the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games were the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. A documentary fil ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand and later that summer finally became British high jump 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

. Pavitt retained his AAA title at the 1951 AAA Championships before being selected for his second Olympics. He represented the Great Britain team at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, finishing fifth and missing a medal by just 3cm.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavitt, Ron 1926 births 1988 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics British male high jumpers Olympic athletes for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games athletes for England People from Hammersmith Athletes from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham English male high jumpers 20th-century English sportsmen