John Rimmer
Encyclopedia
John Thomas "Jack" Rimmer (April 27, 1878 – June 6, 1962) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics
1900 Summer Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...

.

Born in Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...

, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, John Rimmer won the British AAA Championships in 4 miles (6.4 km) in 1900.

At the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

, Rimmer at first participated in the 1500 metres competition
Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metres
The men's 1500 metres was a middle-distance running event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 15, 1900. The race was held on a track of 500 metres in circumference...

, where he finished between seventh and ninth place. On the next day, Rimmer won the gruelling 4000 m steeplechase, beating teammate Charles Bennett
Charles Bennett (athlete)
Charles Bennett was a British athlete, winner of the 1500 m at the 1900 Summer Olympics and the first British track and field athlete to become Olympic champion...

 by one and half yards. Together with Bennett, Alfred Tysoe
Alfred Tysoe
Alfred Ernest Tysoe was a British athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1900 Olympic Games....

, Sidney Robinson and Stan Rowley, Rimmer won a second Olympic title in 5000 m team race, finishing second behind Bennett.

Rimmer joined the Liverpool City Police in 1901 and retired as sergeant 30 years later. He continued to run until he was well over the 50 years of age. He was also a president of the famous Sefton Harriers until his death.

John Rimmer died in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

, aged 84.

He can be found in the 1980s edition of The Guinness Book Of Records.

External links


He was proclaimed the "Fastest White Guy in Europe in 1900" on 13 April 2009 as part of the Europe Athletic Association (EAA) awards.
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