Dad Wheatley

Gregory Wheatley, better known by his nickname of “Dad”, was considered by Australian writers of the day to be the equal of Olympic champion Teddy Flack and one of his country’s greatest ever middle distance runners. His range of distances was impressive as he raced at anything between 400 m and ten miles but his best performances came at 800 m, 1500 m or more usually at their imperial equivalents.

Wheatley arrived in Athens in 1906 having won the 880 y and mile at the previous year’s Australian Championship but, after narrowly missing the final of the 800 m, he had to be content with a 4th place finish in the 1500 m. He again won the middle distance double at the national championships in 1909 and the following year set sail for the UK where he placed second in the British Empire Festival Games 880 yards. He retired in 1912 after breaking down in training in an attempt to gain selection for the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.

When his brother Noel, an artist, was killed at Gallipoli during the First World War, Wheatley immediately signed up with Australian forces and saw four years service in Europe. He was an accountant by profession.

Personal Bests: 800 – 1:55.3y (1906); 1500 – 4:15.6e (1906).