Peter Gabbett
Encyclopedia
Peter John Gabbett (born 19 November 1941) is a former holder of the British record
for the decathlon
. He is widely regarded as the first British decathlete to achieve world class performances in this event. He won the AAA Championships on three occasions, finished second in the 1970 Commonwealth Games, was sixth in the European Championships
, and twice competed in the Olympic Games
. He improved the British Decathlon record four times, two of these were also Commonwealth Records, bringing it close to the 8,000 points mark. At an unofficial meeting at Alan Hancock College, Santa Maria, California
in May 1972 he became the first British decathlete to score over 8,000 points in a decathlon though the circumstances of this performance invalidated it for record purposes. He was a Naval Air Mechanic in the Royal Navy
, and married to Angela D Gabbett. During his athletic career he made his home in Portsmouth
, England. On retiring from the Fleet Air Arm he established a career in shipping and forwarding and now has an Independent Financial Advisory consultancy and now resides in Buckinghamshire
.
. He was educated at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School, in Surrey
, a residential school with a reputation for sporting endeavour, graduating in 1957. In October 2005 Gabbett was guest of honour and principal speaker at a ceremony at the school to celebrate its conversion to a specialist Sports College.
Gabbett joined the Royal Navy as a Naval Air Mechanic and although sport would have formed a significant part of his training there is no record of any athletic performance until May 1960 when he finished third in a high jump
competition in Portsmouth, he has since said that Athletics was his main focus and passion. By 1963 he had added sprinting to his repertoire and finished second in the Royal Navy Championship at both 100m
and 200m events. Less than a month later he went one better in winning both events at the Inter Services Championships, running 10.9s for the 100m into a headwind of -0.75 m/s.
The following year (1964) he confined himself to a limited program due to competing in the Field Gun competition at the Royal Tournament, but in 1966 he started to explore his potential as a multi-event athlete by taking medals in three events at the Royal Navy Championships in Plymouth
. He was at this time just "one of many" 9.9s sprinters (for 100 yards) when he decided to switch to the decathlon, which Mel Watman described as a "shrewd move". His first recorded decathlon was at the AAA Championships at Welwyn Garden City
in July 1966, where he finished 5th (11.0 6.71 10.61 1.78 49.2 16.3 30.96 2.90 46.33 4:33.7) scoring 6,435 points placing him 7th in the British rankings for the year. This brought him to the attention of Tom McNab
, who was at that time one of Britain's most respected and senior athletics coaches.
(11.1 6.63 11.75 1.80 50.2 16.3 36.64 3.00 44.92 4:40.4) with a new personal best score of 6,533 points, and in September he went to Liège
in Belgium for his first international meet where he further improved his best in finishing fourth (11.0 7.10 9.27 1.83 49.7 16.2 34.14 3.00 48.62 4:36.2) with 6,562 points.
1968 was an Olympic year, so the target for Gabbett and McNab as they head into winter training is the Olympic qualifying mark of 7,200 points, the race for which turned into something of an adventure. Indoor marks of 7.1s for 60 metres and 8.6s for 60 metre hurdles are hardly sparkling by the standard of specialist sprinters, but were a new direction for UK decathletes. The outdoor season kicked off with an encouraging 7.20m long jump
at Oxford
in March, after which Gabbett suffered a stress-fracture
in his foot. Then in July he went to Crystal Palace
for his first decathlon of the season. A 10.8s 100m and a fine 7.35m long jump set up the first day nicely, and after a "fiery" 48.7s 400m
in which he "demolished" 400 metre specialist John Hemery, Gabbett ended day one on 3,901 points, easily the best by a British athlete. Below par for the first two events on the next day, both Jim Smith and Dave Travis the javelin
specialist closed in on Gabbett, but a determined personal best 3.40m in the pole vault put him not just back in the lead but back on schedule. A "pathetic" javelin throw of 42.91m ended hopes of achieving the Olympic qualifying mark, but all three leaders had hopes of achieving 7,000 points as they lined up for the final event. Travis tried gallantly but could not stay with the nimbler athlete and Gabbett's 5.7s lead at the tape was sufficient for his first National Record (10.8 7.35 11.78 1.83 48.7 15.7 35.91 3.40 42.91 4:25.2) of 7,082 points. Travis also passed 7,000 points and third placed Jim Smith was only 22 points shy of the mark. With two decathletes over 7,000 points, respected athletics journalist Mel Watman said that British decathlon had, "come of age".
But 7,082 is not 7,200 and Mexico was still a long way off. The second-highest ranked decathlete in the world at that time was the American Bill Toomey
, who was in London the following month (he married British Olympic athlete Mary Rand
in 1969) and was persuaded to enter the AAA Decathlon Championship as a guest. Toomey, who had previously run 10.3s, was expected to leave Gabbett in arrears in the first event, particularly after the American got a "flying start", but Gabbett made up the handicap to share a time of 10.8s, (equalling his best). He "slumped" in the shot
(his weakest event), came close to his best in the long jump, equalled his best (1.83m) in the high jump and in the chilly and damp evening of day one he held Toomey - whose best was 2 seconds better than Gabbett's - to half a yard in the 400m to record a personal best 48.5s. The first day brought 3,872 points (compared to 3,901 in his 7,082). Day two was warm and sunny and Gabbett kicked off with a best hurdles of 15.6s, "disappointed" in the discus
but set a new personal best in the pole vault
, "whipped out" another personal best in the javelin leaving him a target of 4:26.8 or better in the 1500 metres
. Trevor Newey repeated his pacemaking from the previous month leading them through 400m in 69.6s with Gabbett on his shoulder. The 800m was passed in 2:21.4 and Gabbett took the lead at the bell. They passed 1200m in 3:33.6 and with just 200 metres to go Toomey "flashed" by in an attempt to make the 4:19.1 he needed for 8,000 points. Gabbett was not content to concede the lead and struck back in the home straight to win in a new personal best 4:20.2 having run the last lap in 64s. Toomey placed first with 7,985 points. As he was only a guest he could not be crowned the champion so Gabbett retained his AAA title, set a new AAA national record and got his Olympic qualifying mark (10.8 7.35 11.78 1.83 48.7 15.7 35.91 3.40 42.91 4:25.2) with 7,247 points. Clive Longe was selected along with Gabbett for the decathlon at the Mexico Olympics, but they didn't fly out together. James Coote said that for Gabbett, "...this was a disastrous Olympics. First he missed the plane which should have taken him out to Mexico, and then, when long jumping out on the village training track, he managed to pull a hamstring
muscle. It improved to the extent that he actually entered but the muscle went again just before the start and he was forced to withdraw, leaving Longe to suffer on his own."
Gabbett's sporting success does not end at athletics. He has continued with sport all his life including competing in the bobsleigh with the Great Britain bobsleigh team. He is a coach not just of athletics but also of swimming and basketball and has been involved with several schools and independent teams including both his children's schools and clubs up to a National level.
, Dean Macey
, Alex Kruger
, Simon Shirley
and David Bigham. His time for the 400m in a decathlon is still the fastest ever run at sea level.
Gabbett's athletic form can be seen in sequences of the BBC Two
documentary The Ascent of Man
from 1973, narrated by Jacob Bronowski
. He was filmed in slow motion running a sprint
, pole vaulting and throwing a javelin
.
British records in athletics
British records in athletics are the best performances in athletics events by athletes representing the United Kingdom which are ratified by the Amateur Athletic Association and the British Amateur Athletic Board .-History:...
for the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
. He is widely regarded as the first British decathlete to achieve world class performances in this event. He won the AAA Championships on three occasions, finished second in the 1970 Commonwealth Games, was sixth in the European Championships
European Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Championships is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. It is organised every four years, the same year as the Commonwealth Games and between the Summer Olympic Games cycle. After the 2010 Championships in Barcelona, the European Championships will take...
, and twice competed in the Olympic Games
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...
. He improved the British Decathlon record four times, two of these were also Commonwealth Records, bringing it close to the 8,000 points mark. At an unofficial meeting at Alan Hancock College, Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, on the Central Coast of California. The 2010 census population was 100,062, putting it ahead of Santa Barbara for the first time and making it the largest city in the county...
in May 1972 he became the first British decathlete to score over 8,000 points in a decathlon though the circumstances of this performance invalidated it for record purposes. He was a Naval Air Mechanic in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and married to Angela D Gabbett. During his athletic career he made his home in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England. On retiring from the Fleet Air Arm he established a career in shipping and forwarding and now has an Independent Financial Advisory consultancy and now resides in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
Early years
Gabbett was born in Watlington, OxfordshireWatlington, Oxfordshire
Watlington is a market town and civil parish about south of Thame in Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlets of Christmas Common and Greenfield, both of which are in the Chiltern Hills. The M40 motorway is from Watlington.-History:...
. He was educated at the Royal Alexandra and Albert School, in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, a residential school with a reputation for sporting endeavour, graduating in 1957. In October 2005 Gabbett was guest of honour and principal speaker at a ceremony at the school to celebrate its conversion to a specialist Sports College.
Gabbett joined the Royal Navy as a Naval Air Mechanic and although sport would have formed a significant part of his training there is no record of any athletic performance until May 1960 when he finished third in a high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
competition in Portsmouth, he has since said that Athletics was his main focus and passion. By 1963 he had added sprinting to his repertoire and finished second in the Royal Navy Championship at both 100m
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
and 200m events. Less than a month later he went one better in winning both events at the Inter Services Championships, running 10.9s for the 100m into a headwind of -0.75 m/s.
The following year (1964) he confined himself to a limited program due to competing in the Field Gun competition at the Royal Tournament, but in 1966 he started to explore his potential as a multi-event athlete by taking medals in three events at the Royal Navy Championships in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. He was at this time just "one of many" 9.9s sprinters (for 100 yards) when he decided to switch to the decathlon, which Mel Watman described as a "shrewd move". His first recorded decathlon was at the AAA Championships at Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...
in July 1966, where he finished 5th (11.0 6.71 10.61 1.78 49.2 16.3 30.96 2.90 46.33 4:33.7) scoring 6,435 points placing him 7th in the British rankings for the year. This brought him to the attention of Tom McNab
Tom McNab
Tom McNab is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.McNab, who captained and Auckland select side against visiting Manchest United in 1967, made his full All Whites debut in a 3-5 loss to Australia on 5 November 1967 and ended his international...
, who was at that time one of Britain's most respected and senior athletics coaches.
International career
In a 1971 interview with Dave Cocksedge, asked when he first got hooked on the decathlon, Gabbet said, "It was training under Tom McNab and getting inspired by him that helped the most. I began to see the possibilities for myself; realised I had a good top class decathlon in me if I worked hard enough for it." Four decathlons in 1967 confirmed Gabbett's work ethic and enthusiasm. In May he competed twice in two weeks showing some improvement in the technical events if not the total score. In July he won the AAA Championship at HurlinghamHurlingham
Hurlingham may refer to a number of places:*The Hurlingham Club, a sports club in the southwest of London, England, world headquarters of polo.*The Hurlingham Club , a sports and polo club in Argentina...
(11.1 6.63 11.75 1.80 50.2 16.3 36.64 3.00 44.92 4:40.4) with a new personal best score of 6,533 points, and in September he went to Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
in Belgium for his first international meet where he further improved his best in finishing fourth (11.0 7.10 9.27 1.83 49.7 16.2 34.14 3.00 48.62 4:36.2) with 6,562 points.
1968 was an Olympic year, so the target for Gabbett and McNab as they head into winter training is the Olympic qualifying mark of 7,200 points, the race for which turned into something of an adventure. Indoor marks of 7.1s for 60 metres and 8.6s for 60 metre hurdles are hardly sparkling by the standard of specialist sprinters, but were a new direction for UK decathletes. The outdoor season kicked off with an encouraging 7.20m long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in March, after which Gabbett suffered a stress-fracture
Stress fracture
A stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" and also heavy continuous weight on the ankle or leg...
in his foot. Then in July he went to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
for his first decathlon of the season. A 10.8s 100m and a fine 7.35m long jump set up the first day nicely, and after a "fiery" 48.7s 400m
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
in which he "demolished" 400 metre specialist John Hemery, Gabbett ended day one on 3,901 points, easily the best by a British athlete. Below par for the first two events on the next day, both Jim Smith and Dave Travis the javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
specialist closed in on Gabbett, but a determined personal best 3.40m in the pole vault put him not just back in the lead but back on schedule. A "pathetic" javelin throw of 42.91m ended hopes of achieving the Olympic qualifying mark, but all three leaders had hopes of achieving 7,000 points as they lined up for the final event. Travis tried gallantly but could not stay with the nimbler athlete and Gabbett's 5.7s lead at the tape was sufficient for his first National Record (10.8 7.35 11.78 1.83 48.7 15.7 35.91 3.40 42.91 4:25.2) of 7,082 points. Travis also passed 7,000 points and third placed Jim Smith was only 22 points shy of the mark. With two decathletes over 7,000 points, respected athletics journalist Mel Watman said that British decathlon had, "come of age".
But 7,082 is not 7,200 and Mexico was still a long way off. The second-highest ranked decathlete in the world at that time was the American Bill Toomey
Bill Toomey
Bill Toomey is a former American track and field competitor and the 1968 Olympic decathlon champion....
, who was in London the following month (he married British Olympic athlete Mary Rand
Mary Rand
Mary Denise Rand, MBE, is a former English track-and-field athlete. She won the gold medal in the long jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics by breaking the world record, becoming the first-ever British female to win an Olympic gold medal in a track and field event.-Early life:She is the daughter of...
in 1969) and was persuaded to enter the AAA Decathlon Championship as a guest. Toomey, who had previously run 10.3s, was expected to leave Gabbett in arrears in the first event, particularly after the American got a "flying start", but Gabbett made up the handicap to share a time of 10.8s, (equalling his best). He "slumped" in the shot
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
(his weakest event), came close to his best in the long jump, equalled his best (1.83m) in the high jump and in the chilly and damp evening of day one he held Toomey - whose best was 2 seconds better than Gabbett's - to half a yard in the 400m to record a personal best 48.5s. The first day brought 3,872 points (compared to 3,901 in his 7,082). Day two was warm and sunny and Gabbett kicked off with a best hurdles of 15.6s, "disappointed" in the discus
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
but set a new personal best in the pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
, "whipped out" another personal best in the javelin leaving him a target of 4:26.8 or better in the 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
. Trevor Newey repeated his pacemaking from the previous month leading them through 400m in 69.6s with Gabbett on his shoulder. The 800m was passed in 2:21.4 and Gabbett took the lead at the bell. They passed 1200m in 3:33.6 and with just 200 metres to go Toomey "flashed" by in an attempt to make the 4:19.1 he needed for 8,000 points. Gabbett was not content to concede the lead and struck back in the home straight to win in a new personal best 4:20.2 having run the last lap in 64s. Toomey placed first with 7,985 points. As he was only a guest he could not be crowned the champion so Gabbett retained his AAA title, set a new AAA national record and got his Olympic qualifying mark (10.8 7.35 11.78 1.83 48.7 15.7 35.91 3.40 42.91 4:25.2) with 7,247 points. Clive Longe was selected along with Gabbett for the decathlon at the Mexico Olympics, but they didn't fly out together. James Coote said that for Gabbett, "...this was a disastrous Olympics. First he missed the plane which should have taken him out to Mexico, and then, when long jumping out on the village training track, he managed to pull a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
muscle. It improved to the extent that he actually entered but the muscle went again just before the start and he was forced to withdraw, leaving Longe to suffer on his own."
International Athletes Club
In 1958, some of the athletes who were of a standard to be selected for international competition formed the International Athletes Club (IAC), not as a competitive outlet but to give those athletes a voice at the various administrative bodies that made decisions affecting their athletic careers. By the 1970s one of the issues that concerned them was the selection of the team manager for international events. There was a feeling among the athletes that managers performed their duties more in the manner of a teacher shepherding a flock of naughty schoolchildren rather than as the manager of a team of international athletes. Gabbett was among those elected by the athletes to represent them on these matters.Gabbett's sporting success does not end at athletics. He has continued with sport all his life including competing in the bobsleigh with the Great Britain bobsleigh team. He is a coach not just of athletics but also of swimming and basketball and has been involved with several schools and independent teams including both his children's schools and clubs up to a National level.
Legacy
Although more than thirty years have elapsed since Gabbett last completed a decathlon, he is still ranked as the sixth best British decathlete, behind Daley ThompsonDaley Thompson
Francis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson CBE , is a former decathlete from England. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times....
, Dean Macey
Dean Macey
Dean Macey is an English athlete from Canvey Island. He is best known for competing in the decathlon, which he did from 1995 to 2008, winning World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals, as well as twice finishing fourth in the Olympic Games...
, Alex Kruger
Alex Kruger
Alexander Eaton Kruger is a retired male decathlete from England, who was born in Germany. He twice competed for Great Britain at the Summer Olympics . Kruger set his personal best in the men's decathlon in 1995.-Achievements:-References:*...
, Simon Shirley
Simon Shirley
Simon Shirley is a retired decathlete from Australia, who finished in fifteenth place at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He is a two-time national champion in the men's decathlon.-Achievements:...
and David Bigham. His time for the 400m in a decathlon is still the fastest ever run at sea level.
Gabbett's athletic form can be seen in sequences of the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
documentary The Ascent of Man
The Ascent of Man
The Ascent of Man is a thirteen-part documentary television series produced by the BBC and Time-Life Films first transmitted in 1973, written and presented by Jacob Bronowski...
from 1973, narrated by Jacob Bronowski
Jacob Bronowski
Jacob Bronowski was a Polish-Jewish British mathematician, biologist, historian of science, theatre author, poet and inventor...
. He was filmed in slow motion running a sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
, pole vaulting and throwing a javelin
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
.