David Hemery

English athlete
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Also known as: David Peter Hemery
Quick Facts
In full:
David Peter Hemery
Born:
July 18, 1944, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England
Also Known As:
David Peter Hemery

David Hemery (born July 18, 1944, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England) is an English hurdler who held the 400-metre-hurdles world record of 48.1 sec (1968–72).

His father’s work took the family to the United States, where Hemery attended school, graduating from Boston University in 1969. He competed with the British team in the 1966 Commonwealth Games at Kingston, Jamaica, winning the 110-metre hurdles. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, competing for the British team, he won the gold medal and set his world record for the 400-metre hurdles. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Hemery won the bronze medal, after which he retired from international competition and turned professional. He wrote an autobiography, Another Hurdle (1976), and later coached track in the United States. He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1969.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.