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Geoff Elliott

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Geoff Elliott
Personal information
Nationality England
Born7 April 1931
Ilford
Died12 October 2014(2014-10-12) (aged 83)[1]
Medal record
Athletics
Representing  England
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1954 Vancouver pole vault
Gold medal – first place 1958 Cardiff pole vault

Geoffrey Michael Elliott (7 April 1931 – 12 October 2014) was a pole vaulter, shot putter and decathlete from England. He was born in Ilford.

Athletics career

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He represented Great Britain in both the pole vault and decathlon events at the 1952 Olympic games in Helsinki. He set his personal best in the pole vault (4.30 metres) on 28 August 1954 in Bern. He represented England and won a gold medal in the pole vault at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada.[2] Four years later, in Cardiff he repeated the success at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[3][4] Just before those games, he was one of many signatories in a letter to The Times on 17 July 1958 opposing 'the policy of apartheid' in international sport and defending 'the principle of racial equality which is embodied in the Declaration of the Olympic Games'.[5]

Achievements

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1954 European Championships Bern, Switzerland 3rd Pole vault
British Empire and Commonwealth Games Vancouver, Canada 1st Pole vault
8th Shot put
1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Cardiff, Wales 1st Pole vault

References

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  1. ^ Geoff Elliott's obituary
  2. ^ "1954 Athletes". Team England.
  3. ^ "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
  4. ^ "1958 Athletes". Team England.
  5. ^ Brown and Hogsbjerg, Apartheid is not a game, 16