John Davies

Cheshire’s John Davies was a keen cyclist as a young boy before having a meteoric rise through the schoolboy and junior athletics ranks on his way to becoming an Olympian. He also had some heartbreak along the way.

Hailing from the Cheshire town of Heald Green, Davies originally wanted to be a cyclist, but at 12-years-of-age lost his left eye in an airgun accident. His father Jack was the secretary of the Manchester Athletics Club at the time and John junior took up running. Within a few years he was proving himself to be a good quarter- and half-miler. A student at the North Cheshire College, Davies won the 1965 Cheshire Schools intermediate 880 yards title. The following year Davies was both the All-England schools and AAA junior 880 champion.

Further success followed and in 1968 Davies won his first Great Britain international vest against West Germany in an indoor match and, also that year, set a European junior record when finishing second (by one-fifth of a second) to the experienced Chris Carter in the Inter-Counties Championships at the White City. Davies was second to Ireland’s Noel Carroll at the AAAs and gained selection for the Mexico Olympics. Sadly, for the 19-year-old, Davies suffered a small Achilles tendon rupture and was advised by his coach and medical expert not to run at The Games. Heartbreaking as it was, he listened to their advice.

Davies was out of action for nearly 11 months, but made his comeback and helped Sale Harriers, who he joined in 1967, to win the AAA 4x800 metres relay title. Davies then went to the University of Washington in Seattle to train and take a three-year sports medicine course, but soon quit after his dislike for the marijuana-smoking culture by some of his team-mates. Davies was one of the favourites for the 1970 British Commonwealth Games 800 metres title at Edinburgh and in the final led the reigning Olympic champion Ralph Doubell of Australia down the back straight. The two leaders were burned out, however, and eventually finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Davies never got to race in the Olympics and, following his 1968 misfortune, lost out in a “race-off” against Colin Campbell for the final 800 metres place at the 1972 München Games. His career ended with some notable wins to his name, however, including the 1968 Northern Counties 880, 1970 Inter-Counties 800, and 1971 AAA indoor 1500 metres. A lover of classical music, Davies became a Manchester mortgage broker by profession.