Trevor Anthony Vincent, (born 27 April 1938) is a former Australian long-distance runner, specialising in the 3000 metres

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

. In 1962 he competed for his native country at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 British Empire Game ...

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, winning the gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase event, setting an inaugural

Commonwealth Games record Commonwealth Games records are the best performances in a specific edition of the event's history. As the Commonwealth Games only accepts athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, the records are not considered as prestigious as World records ...

and breaking his own Australian record. He also competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

in the 3000 metres

event.

Early life and family

Trevor Vincent was born 27 April 1938 in

Armadale, Victoria Armadale is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Armadale recorded a population of 9,368 at the 2021 c ...

. Trevor has a wife Lois and three sons: Greg, Gary and Brett. He also has eight grandchildren: Rachel, Nicholas, Marcus, Sarah, Kate, Zahli, Rhiannon and Ebony.

Athletic career

In 1962 Vincent competed for his native country at the

1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Australia, from 22 November to 1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth. The ...

in Perth, Western Australia, winning the gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase event with a time of 8:43.4 seconds, setting an inaugural

and breaking his own Australian record of 8:49.2. The race was staged at

Perry Lakes Stadium Perry Lakes Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium adjacent to Perry Lakes in Floreat, Western Australia. It was built and funded by the State Government and the City of Perth in 1962 for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and had ...

Floreat, Western Australia Floreat is a residential suburb west-northwest of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is bordered on Underwood Avenue, Selby Street, Cromarty Road and Durston Road. It is the head of the Town of Cambr ...

on 24 November. Vincent won by 15 yards ahead of the favoured Englishmen Maurice Herriott and fellow countryman

Ron Blackney Ronald Leslie Blackney (23 April 1933 – 14 June 2008) was an Australian middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games ...

who won the bronze medal. In the lead up to the Perth games, Vincent trained alongside Olympian

Ron Clarke Ronald William Clarke, AO, MBE (21 February 1937 – 17 June 2015) was an Australian athlete, writer, and the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable fo ...

and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Rod Bonella at

Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse Reserve is located nine kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs. The Reserve was set aside for three purposes, racing, recreation and a publ ...

, running up to 160 km a week. He also competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in

in the 3000m steeplechase event. Vincent set a time of 8:58.8 seconds, placing 8th, however failing to qualify for the final after being hampered down with injury. Trevor attempted numerous Australian National Athletic Championships, having great success in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the ...

event,

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

. He also attended the 1963 Australian Cross Country Championships, winning the gold medal in the 10 km event.

Personal bests

Competition record

International competitions

National championships

Personal life

Vincent was part of the

Olympic Torch Relay The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of an Olympic Games. It was first performed at the 1936 Summer Olympics, and has taken place prior to every Games since. Although in the pa ...

for the

Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. He was also a part of the

Queen's Baton Relay The Queen's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingh ...

for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, as well as the

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, be ...

. Vincent has been awarded an

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

in 2000, and the Medal of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

for service to athletics in 2008. Trevor now coaches a weekly running group at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

Clayton campus for more than 100 students and staff.

References

External links

* * 1938 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Olympic athletes for Australia Australian male long-distance runners Australian male steeplechase runners Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics People from Armadale, Victoria Athletes from Melbourne Medallists at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Sportsmen from Victoria (state) Australian Athletics Championships winners {{Australia-athletics-bio-stub