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Arthur Robertson

Arthur Robertson at the 1908 Olympics
Personal information
Birth name	Arthur James Robertson
Born	(1879-04-19)19 April 1879 Harthill, Sheffield, England
Died	18 April 1957(1957-04-18) (aged 77) Peterborough, England
Sport
Country	Great Britain
Sport	Athletics
Event	1500–10,000 m (1-10 miles)
Club	Birchfield Harriers
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1908
Personal best(s)	Mile – 4:23.4e (1909) 5000 m – 15:01.2 (1908) 10,000 m – 31:30.4 (1908) Hour – 18,479 m
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 1908 London 3 mile team 1908 London 3200 m s'chase Representing  England International Cross Country Championships 1908 Colombes Individual 1908 Colombes Team

Arthur James Robertson (19 April 1879 – 18 April 1957) was a British runner who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. He won the gold medal in the 3-mile team race and a silver in the steeplechase.

Career

Robertson born in Sheffield, was the son of a Glasgow doctor and was educated at Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow, before moving to King's School, Peterborough at the age of 14. A brilliant all-round sportsman, he initially concentrated on cycling and only took up serious athletics at the age of 25, after a cycling injury.

In 1906, he joined Birchfield Harriers. In March 1908 he won both the English and International Cross-Country Championships and a second-place finish in the 4 mile race at the AAA Championships earned him a place at the Olympics.

At the Olympics, Robertson won easily in the first round of the 3200 metres steeplechase, finishing in 11:10.0. In the final, he trailed for most of the race. At the bell, he passed one of the two then-leaders, American John Eisele. Robertson was not quite able to catch the other leader, however, and trailed fellow Briton Arthur Russell by two yards at the finish. His final time was 10:48.4. At the same Olympics he won gold as a member of the 3-man 3 mile team race; the first Olympic gold won by a Scottish and Birchfield athlete. He also participated in the five miles event and finished fifth. His brother David was a member of the British cycling team at the same olympics.

On 13 September 1908 Robertson set a world record at 15:01.2 over 5,000 metres, running on a concrete cycle track in Stockholm. He retired from athletics after 1909 season and returned to cycling. Later, together with his brother, he ran a sports shop in Peterborough, and then passed it over to his son.

Robertson finished second behind Eddie Owen (1 mile) and Emil Voigt (4 miles) at the 1909 AAA Championships.

Robertson was posthumously inducted into the Scottish Sporting Hall of Fame in 2004. In January 2010, a new J D Wetherspoon pub in Perry Barr, Birmingham (close to Perry Barr Stadium, the former home of Birchfield Harriers) was named 'The Arthur Robertson' in his honour.

References

1. ^ Arthur Robertson. sports-reference.com
2. Arthur James Robertson. trackfield.brinkster.net
3. "Arthur Robertson". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
4. ^ Philpotts, Chris (8 October 2010). "Pub runs with hero's reputation for unexpected triumphs". Great Barr Observer. Birmingham: Central Independent News & Media Ltd. pp. 4–5.
5. ^ Golden Scots: Arthur Robertson, the accidental athlete. BBC. 3 July 2012
6. "Athletics". Leicester Daily Post. 5 July 1909. Retrieved 12 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "AAA Championships". Manchester Courier. 5 July 1909. Retrieved 24 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 24 October 2024.

Further reading

• Buchanan, Ian British Olympians. Guinness Publishing (1991) ISBN 0-85112-952-8

External links

• Databaseolympics.com
• Arthur Robertson at Olympics.com
• Arthur Robertson at Olympedia (archive)
• Arthur Robertson at the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame

• 1879 births
• 1957 deaths
• People educated at Kelvinside Academy
• People educated at The King's School, Peterborough
• Sportspeople from Peterborough
• Athletes from Sheffield
• Scottish male long-distance runners
• British male long-distance runners
• British male steeplechase runners
• Scottish male steeplechase runners
• Olympic athletes for Great Britain
• Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
• Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics
• Scottish Olympic competitors
• Birchfield Harriers
• International Cross Country Championships winners
• Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
• Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)