Malcolm Yardley
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 23 December 1940 Oldham, England |
| Died | 17 March 2020 (aged 79) |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Sprinting/400m |
| Club | Birchfield Harriers |
Harold Malcolm Yardley (23 December 1940 – 17 March 2020)[1][2] was a British sprinter. He competed in the men's 400 metres at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[3][4]
Biography
[edit]Yardley was born in Oldham in 1940 and was raised in Coventry.[5] During World War II, his house was destroyed during the Blitz, with his family moving to Leicester.[5] At school, he played cricket, football and rugby, but excelled at athletics.[1] In 1959, at the age of 18, Yardley made his international debut for Great Britain.[5]
At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Yardley competed in two events.[6] He was part of the British team that finished fifth in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay,[7] and the men's 400 metres, where he reached the quarter-finals.[8] The following year, along with Adrian Metcalfe, Barry Jackson and Robbie Brightwell, Yardley was part of the number-one ranked 4x400 quartet in the world.[9] However, he missed out on competing at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City due to injury.[2]
Yardley was part of the Birchfield Harriers,[10] before moving to the Blackburn Harriers,[11] and gaining selection to compete at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.[2] He competed in the men's 400 metres but did not get out of the heats.[12]
Yardley twice finished on the podium at the AAA Championships in the 440 yards event at the 1959 AAA Championships[13] and 1960 AAA Championships.[14][15] and mcuh later finished runner-up to David Dear in the 200 metres at the 1969 AAA Championships.[16][17]
Outside of athletics, Yardley was also the captain and manager of Lowerhouse Cricket Club in Burnley.[4] He had training programmes with several local clubs in the North West of England, including Rochdale, Bury and Blackpool.[4] In the late 1960s, Yardley also set up a sports shop in Burnley, with players from the football team coming along.[1]
Yardley died in March 2020 at the age of 79, following a short illness.[1] At the time of his death, he still held the Blackburn Harriers' records in the 100, 200 and 400 metres.[1] Yardley was remembered at the In Memoriam section of the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Tribute to former Olympic sprinter Malcolm Yardley, who has passed away aged 79". Burnley Express. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Malcolm Yardley". Northern Athletics. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Malcolm Yardley Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ a b c "Malcolm Yardley". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "Malcolm Yardley". Team GB. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Harriers thrower Henton is honoured". Lancashire Telegraph. 8 December 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "4 x 400 metres Relay, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "400 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Sad news – Malcolm Yardley". Lower House Cricket Club. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "The International Athlete". Anent Scottish Running. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Remembering Malcolm Yardley". Blackburn Harriers. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Athletics 400m - Men Edinburgh 1970". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Barefooted Bruce kicks out stars". Weekly Dispatch (London). 12 July 1959. Retrieved 3 May 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ "White City results". The People. 3 August 1969. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Shock victory by Irish middle-distance man". Hull Daily Mail. 2 August 1969. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Sports Personality of the Year 2020: Remembering the stars we have lost". BBC Sport. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
