Peter Gabbett

Despite clashing with British athletics officials on more than one occasion, Peter Gabbett was Britain’s best decathlete prior to Daley Thompson’s arrival on the scene. He went to two Olympics, but unfortunately Gabbett did not start one, and did not finish the other.

In 1968 Gabbett firstly missed his scheduled flight to Mexico because of an error and had to fly out a week later. Once at The Games he pulled a hamstring in training but was all set to start when the muscle gave way again during his warm-up for the 100 metres and he had to pull out. Four years later, fortune seemed to favour Gabbett when, after seven events at München, he was in fourth place and just 20 points off a medal place, having won the 400 metres and been second in the 100. Gabbett suffered a knee injury, however, which caused him to perform under-par in the pole vault, and he then had three “no throws” in the javelin. The injury forced him to pull out of the last race, the 1,500 metres.

In between his two Olympic appearances Gabbett won a silver medal at the 1970 Edinburgh British Commonwealth Games, 23 points behind Australia’s Geoff Smith. Gabbett also competed at the 1971 European Championships at Helsinki and finished sixth. A mechanic in the Royal Navy, Gabbett won the AAA title three times in 1967-68 and 1970. He also broke the British record on several occasions, and at Hancock College, California in 1972 thought he had broken the British 8,000 points barrier, but his total was never ratified as a record.

Gabbett retired from athletics in 1973 but announced he was making a comeback nine months later. After he had appeared in a brochure advertising trampoline equipment, however, the eligibility of his amateur status was queried, and he was only allowed to compete in Britain and not in international competitions. Three years after his initial retirement, Gabbett’s solicitor was still trying to get clarification from the British Amateur Athletic Board over his amateur status.

Personal Best: Dec – 7901 (1972).