Grantley Goulding
Encyclopedia
Grantley Thomas Smart Goulding (March 23, 1874 in Hartpury
, Gloucestershire
– 1944 in Umkomaas, Natal
, South Africa
) was a British
athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics
in Athens
.
coast.
Goulding competed in the 110 metre hurdles
in Athens. He finished in first place in his preliminary heat with a time of 18.4 seconds, advancing to the final. In the final he faced only Thomas Curtis
of the United States
after two other finallists had withdrawn. A stumble from Goulding at the start of the race appears to have decisive; although he gained ground on Curtis after halfway, he could not close the gap. At the end of the race, the officials declared that Curtis had won by a margin of a mere 5 centimetres. Both finished in 17.6 seconds. In 1932, Curtis wrote in The Sportsman that Goulding "stopped neither to linger or say farewell, but went straight from the stadium to the station and took the first train out of Athens".
In the 1984 NBC
miniseries
, The First Olympics: Athens, 1896, he was portrayed as being very pompous and having a habit of taking his opponents (especially the Americans) very lightly. He exhibited such poor sportsmanship that British officials (and Pierre de Coubertin
) came to resent him. When he finished the 110 Metre Hurdles final, he was booed raucously by the crowd and pelted with fruit.
Hartpury
Hartpury is a rural parish of with some 270 homes and a population of about 700. It is situated about north of the city of Gloucester, England. Geographically it lies within the Leadon Vale; administratively it is part of the Forest of Dean....
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
– 1944 in Umkomaas, Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) was a British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics
1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Personal life
Grantley Goulding was born into a rich Gloucestershire farming family. He later emigrated to South Africa and settled on the NatalNatal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
coast.
Olympic career
Grantley Goulding established a local reputation in the Gloucestershire area when he won a number of races in the 1895 season. In a meeting at Gloucester he defeated the visiting South African champion but was less successful at the AAA championship where he finished last in his heat.Goulding competed in the 110 metre hurdles
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
in Athens. He finished in first place in his preliminary heat with a time of 18.4 seconds, advancing to the final. In the final he faced only Thomas Curtis
Thomas Curtis
Thomas Pelham "Tom" Curtis was an American athlete and the winner of the 110 metres hurdles at the 1896 Summer Olympics....
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after two other finallists had withdrawn. A stumble from Goulding at the start of the race appears to have decisive; although he gained ground on Curtis after halfway, he could not close the gap. At the end of the race, the officials declared that Curtis had won by a margin of a mere 5 centimetres. Both finished in 17.6 seconds. In 1932, Curtis wrote in The Sportsman that Goulding "stopped neither to linger or say farewell, but went straight from the stadium to the station and took the first train out of Athens".
In the 1984 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, The First Olympics: Athens, 1896, he was portrayed as being very pompous and having a habit of taking his opponents (especially the Americans) very lightly. He exhibited such poor sportsmanship that British officials (and Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
) came to resent him. When he finished the 110 Metre Hurdles final, he was booed raucously by the crowd and pelted with fruit.