Peter Amey

A bricklayer by profession, Plymouth-born Peter Amey started wrestling as a teenager in 1953. He was scheduled to go to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics but had to stand down due to lack of funds. He toured Austria with the England team instead. By the time the 1960 Roma Olympics came around, Amey had won the London, Southern England, and Birmingham welterweight titles and eventually went to the Games.

At Roma, Amey reached the third round before coming up against Sweden’s Åke Carlsson. The Briton went into the contest having undergone a series of pain-killing injections on a bad back. After just 30 seconds, however, it was the Swede who had to receive treatment for a cut ear before returning to action and throwing Amey for the win after just two minutes.

Amey won his first British title (welterweight) in 1961 and followed that up with the lightweight title the following year, when he also took part in the 1962 World Championships in Toledo. He then went to Perth, Australia, for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He also competed in the Edinburgh Games in 1970, having won three more British welterweight titles in 1967 and 1969-70.