Sydney Wooderson
Encyclopedia
Sydney Charles Wooderson MBE
(30 August 1914 – 21 December 2006), dubbed "The Mighty Atom", was an English
athlete whose peak career was in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of Britain’s greatest middle-distance runners
and had an amazing sprint finish. His slightly-built and bespectacled appearance disguised immense reserves of strength and an overwhelming turn of speed.
He set the world mile record of 4min 6.4sec at London’s Motspur Park
on 28 August 1937. This record stood for nearly five years.
, London, he was 5 ft 6 in and weighed less than 9 stone (126 lbs). He attended Sutton Valence School
, Kent
. At 18 he became the first British schoolboy to break 4min 30sec for the mile. He won the British mile title for the five years up to the outbreak of the war in 1939.
In 1934 he won the silver medal in the one mile event at the British Empire Games.
At the 1936 Summer Olympics
in Berlin, he suffered an ankle injury and failed to qualify for the final of the Men's 1500 metres. However, in 1937, after surgery, his performance increased and culminated in his world mile record of 4min 6.4sec in 1937. In 1938 he set world records in the 800 m and 880 yards with times of 1min 48.4sec and 1min 49.2sec respectively.
Off the track Wooderson was a City of London
solicitor
and missed the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney because he was taking his law finals.
His poor eyesight ruled him out of active service during the Second World War. He joined the Royal Pioneer Corps
and was a firefighter
during the Blitz
and then later, in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
as a radar
operator. In 1944, he spent several months in hospital suffering from rheumatic fever
and was warned by doctors he might never run again.
Immediately after the war, however, in 1945, he ran his fastest mile, 4min 4.2sec, just behind Arne Andersson
of Sweden
. In Oslo at the 1946 European Championships, he won the 5,000m in 14min 8.6sec, the second-fastest time to that point.
His versatility was demonstrated when he won the National cross-country title in 1948.
He was the natural choice to carry the Olympic torch into Wembley Stadium for the 1948 Summer Olympics
. However he was turned away at the last minute because members of the organising committee wanted a more handsome final runner. They chose the relatively unknown John Mark instead.
He was awarded an MBE
in the 2000 Birthday Honours List for services to Blackheath Harriers and athletics.
Wooderson lived in retirement in Dorset
in the South of England. He remained a life member of Blackheath Harriers
and was twice its president.
Wooderson died on Thursday 21 December 2006 in a nursing home at Wareham, Dorset
.
His ashes are interred in the churchyard of Lady St. Mary's Church, Wareham.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(30 August 1914 – 21 December 2006), dubbed "The Mighty Atom", was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
athlete whose peak career was in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of Britain’s greatest middle-distance runners
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
and had an amazing sprint finish. His slightly-built and bespectacled appearance disguised immense reserves of strength and an overwhelming turn of speed.
He set the world mile record of 4min 6.4sec at London’s Motspur Park
Motspur Park
Motspur Park, also known locally as West Barnes is a suburb in South West London situated across the boundary between the London Borough of Merton and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. It owes its identity to the railway station of the same name, which has six trains an hour to London's...
on 28 August 1937. This record stood for nearly five years.
Career
Born in CamberwellCamberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, London, he was 5 ft 6 in and weighed less than 9 stone (126 lbs). He attended Sutton Valence School
Sutton Valence School
Sutton Valence School is an English independent school near Maidstone in southeast England. It has about 520 pupils. It is a co-educational school with a boarding option . The three boarding houses are Westminster, St Margaret's and Sutton and, for those in the first and second form, Beresford...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. At 18 he became the first British schoolboy to break 4min 30sec for the mile. He won the British mile title for the five years up to the outbreak of the war in 1939.
In 1934 he won the silver medal in the one mile event at the British Empire Games.
At the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
in Berlin, he suffered an ankle injury and failed to qualify for the final of the Men's 1500 metres. However, in 1937, after surgery, his performance increased and culminated in his world mile record of 4min 6.4sec in 1937. In 1938 he set world records in the 800 m and 880 yards with times of 1min 48.4sec and 1min 49.2sec respectively.
Off the track Wooderson was a City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and missed the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney because he was taking his law finals.
His poor eyesight ruled him out of active service during the Second World War. He joined the Royal Pioneer Corps
Royal Pioneer Corps
The Royal Pioneer Corps was a British Army combatant corps used for light engineering tasks.The Royal Pioneer Corps was raised on 17 October 1939 as the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps. It was renamed the Pioneer Corps on 22 November 1940...
and was a firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
and then later, in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
as a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
operator. In 1944, he spent several months in hospital suffering from rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
and was warned by doctors he might never run again.
Immediately after the war, however, in 1945, he ran his fastest mile, 4min 4.2sec, just behind Arne Andersson
Arne Andersson
Arne Andersson was a Swedish middle distance runner who became famous for his rivalry with his compatriot Gunder Hägg in the 1940s. Andersson set a 1500 metres world record in Gothenburg in August 1943 with a time of 3:45.0 min...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In Oslo at the 1946 European Championships, he won the 5,000m in 14min 8.6sec, the second-fastest time to that point.
His versatility was demonstrated when he won the National cross-country title in 1948.
He was the natural choice to carry the Olympic torch into Wembley Stadium for the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
. However he was turned away at the last minute because members of the organising committee wanted a more handsome final runner. They chose the relatively unknown John Mark instead.
He was awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the 2000 Birthday Honours List for services to Blackheath Harriers and athletics.
Wooderson lived in retirement in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in the South of England. He remained a life member of Blackheath Harriers
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
and was twice its president.
Wooderson died on Thursday 21 December 2006 in a nursing home at Wareham, Dorset
Wareham, Dorset
Wareham is an historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles southwest of Poole.-Situation and geography:...
.
His ashes are interred in the churchyard of Lady St. Mary's Church, Wareham.