Arthur Wint
Arthur Stanley Wint (
March 25,
1920 –
October 19,
1992) was the first
Jamaican Olympic gold medallist, winning the 400
m at
1948 Summer Olympics.
Arthur Wint, known as the
Gentle Giant, was born in
Plowden,
Manchester, Jamaica. In
1937 he was the Jamaica Boy Athlete of the year, the following year he won a gold medal in the 800 m at the
Central American Games in
Panama.
In
1942 he joined the
Royal Air Force and set the Canadian 400 m record while training there. He was sent to
Britain for active combat during the
World War II as a pilot. He left the Royal Air Force in
1947 to attend
St Bartholomew's Hospital as a medical student.
In
1948 Wint won Jamaica's first Olympic gold also setting the
world record for the 400 m (46.2) in
London, beating his team-mate
Herb McKenley. In 800 m he won silver after
American Mal Whitfield. He probably missed his third medal in London Games by pulling a muscle in the 4 x 400 m
relay final.
In
Helsinki 1952 he was part of the historic team setting yet another world record while capturing the gold in 4 x 400 m relay. He also won silver in 800 m, again coming second to Mal Whitfield.
He ran his final race in 1953 at
Wembley Stadium, finished his internship, graduated as a doctor and the following year he was made a
Member of the British Empire (MBE) by
Queen Elizabeth II. In
1955 Wint returned to Jamaica eventually settling in
Hanover as the only resident doctor in the parish. In 1973 he was awarded the Jamaica honour of the Order of Distinction. In 1974 he began serving as high commissioner to Britain. He was inducted in the Black Athlete's Hall of Fame in the US (1977), the Jamaica Sports Hall of Fame (1989) and the Central American & Caribbean Athletic Confederation Hall of Fame (2003).
Arthur Wint died in
Linstead, aged 72.
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Arthur Wint - A Jamaican Hero
