Lionel Cox

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameLionel Malvyne•Cox
Used nameLionel•Cox
Born26 January 1930 in Brisbane, Queensland (AUS)
Died9 March 2010 in Sydney, New South Wales (AUS)
AffiliationsMarrickville Cycling Club, Marrickville (AUS)
NOC Australia
Medals OG
Gold 1
Silver 1
Bronze 0
Total 2

Biography

Lionel Cox began competitive cycling at the age of fifteen and soon displayed his prestigious talent by winning every race he contested as a junior. In 1948, his first year as a senior, he became state champion of New South Wales in the sprint and placed second in the national mile championship. Over the next few years he development a rivalry with Russell Mockridge and the two men regularly vied for the honour of being Australia’s top sprinter. A defeat to Mockridge in the Australian championships appeared to cost Cox a place at the Helsinki Olympics but a fine run of form gave him a berth to Finland where he would compete in both the sprint and the tandem events. Despite having no experience in the event Cox was paired with Mockridge on a borrowed tandem and immediately forged a partnership that dominated the event and they defeated the favoured South African to win the gold medal. In the individual sprint he reached the final only to be beaten by the world champion Enzo Sacchi. He rode at the major European races in 1953 and 1954 and placed fourth at the 1954 World Championships. In that same year of 1954 he represented Australia at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver in both the time trial, where he finished eleventh, and the sprint. He reached the final of the sprint but was controversially disqualified and the silver medal was withheld from him. Despite failing to reach the Australian team for the Melbourne Games he continued to compete and reached his last national championship final in 1963. Cox retired from competition after breaking a vertebrae in his neck but continued his connection with the sport by coaching youngsters for over thirty years.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1952 Summer Olympics Cycling Track (Cycling) AUS Lionel Cox
Sprint, Men (Olympic) 2 Silver
Tandem Sprint, 2,000 metres, Men (Olympic) Russell Mockridge 1 Gold

Errata

Date of birth is uncertain. Commonwealth Games data also has a DOB of 5 December 1930, but multiple sources confirm the DOB listed above.