Athletics at the 1938 British Empire Games
| Athletics at the 3rd British Empire and Commonwealth Games | |
|---|---|
The events took place with a makeshift track at the cricket ground | |
| Dates | 5–12 February 1938 |
| Host city | Sydney, Australia |
| Venue | Sydney Cricket Ground |
| Level | Senior |
| Events | 28 |
| Participation | 187 athletes from 11 nations |
At the 1938 British Empire Games, the athletics events were held at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia in February 1938, with several events also being held at the Sydney Sports Ground.[1] A total of 28 athletics events were contested at the Games, 20 by men and 8 by women.
Medal summary
Men
( 'e' denotes an estimated time )
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 yards |
Cyril Holmes (ENG) | 9.7 | John Mumford (AUS) | 9.8e | Ted Best (AUS) | 9.9e |
| 220 yards |
Cyril Holmes (ENG) | 21.2 | John Mumford (AUS) | 21.3e | Ted Best (AUS) | 21.4e |
| 440 yards |
Bill Roberts (ENG) | 47.9 | William Fritz (CAN) | 47.9e | Denis Shore (SAF) | 48.1e |
| 880 yards |
Pat Boot (NZL) | 1:51.2 | Frank Handley (ENG) | 1:54.0e | Bill Dale (CAN) | 1:54.2e |
| 1 mile |
Jim Alford (WAL) | 4:11.6 | Gerald Backhouse (AUS) | 4:12.2e | Pat Boot (NZL) | 4:12.6e |
| 3 miles |
Cecil Matthews (NZL) | 13:59.6 | Peter Ward (ENG) | 14:05.4 | Scotty Rankine (CAN) | 14:24.0e |
| 6 miles |
Cecil Matthews (NZL) | 30:14.5 | Scotty Rankine (CAN) | +180 yds (~30:45) | Wally Hayward (SAF) | +250 yds (~31:28) |
| Marathon |
Johannes Coleman (SAF) | 2:30:15 | Bert Norris (ENG) | 2:37:57 | Jackie Gibson (SAF) | 2:38:20 |
| 120 yards hurdles |
Tom Lavery (SAF) | 14.0w | Larry O'Connor (CAN) | 14.2ew | Sid Stenner (AUS) | 14.4ew |
| 440 yards hurdles |
John Loaring (CAN) | 52.9 | John Park (AUS) | 54.6e | Alan McDougall (AUS) | 55.2e |
| 4 × 110 yards relay |
Canada Jack Brown Pat Haley John Loaring Larry O'Connor |
41.6 | England Ken Richardson Sandy Duncan Lawrence Wallace Cyril Holmes |
41.8e | Australia Ted Best Alf Watson Ted Hampson Howard Yates |
41.9e |
| 4 × 440 yards relay |
Canada Lee Orr Bill Dale William Fritz John Loaring |
3:16.9 | England Frank Handley Henry Pack Brian MacCabe Bill Roberts |
3:19.2 | New Zealand Alan Sayers Arnold Anderson Graham Quinn Harold Tyrie |
3:22.0 |
| High jump |
Edwin Thacker (SAF) | 1.96 | Robert Heffernan (AUS) | 1.88 | Doug Shetliffe (AUS) | 1.88 |
| Pole vault |
Andries du Plessis (SAF) | 4.11 | Les Fletcher (AUS) | 3.97 | Stuart Frid (CAN) | 3.88 |
| Long jump |
Harold Brown (CAN) | 7.43 | Jim Panton (CAN) | 7.25 | Basil Dickinson (AUS) | 7.15 |
| Triple jump |
Jack Metcalfe (AUS) | 15.49 | Lloyd Miller (AUS) | 15.41 | Basil Dickinson (AUS) | 15.28 |
| Shot put |
Louis Fouché (SAF) | 14.48 | Eric Coy (CAN) | 13.95 | Francis Drew (AUS) | 13.80 |
| Discus throw |
Eric Coy (CAN) | 44.76 | David Young (SCO) | 43.04 | George Sutherland (CAN) | 41.47 |
| Hammer throw |
George Sutherland (CAN) | 48.71 | Keith Pardon (AUS) | 45.11 | Jim Leckie (NZL) | 44.21 |
| Javelin throw |
Jim Courtright (CAN) | 62.80 | Stan Lay (NZL) | 62.21 | Jack Metcalfe (AUS) | 55.53 |
Invitation events
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 220 yards hurdles |
Phillip Sharpley (NZL) | 24.7 | Alan McDougall (AUS) | +2 yds (~24.9) | Jack Lobban (AUS) | +0.5 yd |
| 2 miles walk |
Athol Stubbs (AUS) | 13:51.4 | R. Stephenson (AUS) | +250 yds (~14:50) | W. Hayward (AUS) | +20 yds |
Women
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 yards |
Decima Norman (AUS) | 11.1 | Joyce Walker (AUS) | 11.3e | Jeanette Dolson (CAN) | 11.4e |
| 220 yards |
Decima Norman (AUS) | 24.7 | Jean Coleman (AUS) | 25.1e | Eileen Wearne (AUS) | 25.3e |
| 80 metres hurdles |
Barbara Burke (SAF) | 11.7w | Isabel Grant (AUS) | 11.7ew | Rona Tong (NZL) | 11.8ew |
| 110–220–110 yards relay |
Australia Jean Coleman Eileen Wearne Decima Norman |
49.1 | Canada Aileen Meagher Jeanette Dolson Barbara Howard |
49.9e | England Kathleen Stokes Dorothy Saunders Winifred Jeffrey |
51.3e |
| 220–110–220–110 yards relay |
Australia Decima Norman Joan Woodland Jean Coleman Thelma Peake |
1:15.2 | England Kathleen Stokes Ethel Raby Dorothy Saunders Winifred Jeffrey |
1:17.2e | Canada Violet Montgomery Barbara Howard Aileen Meagher Jeanette Dolson |
1:19.0e |
| High jump |
Dorothy Odam (ENG) | 1.60 | Dora Gardner (ENG) | 1.57 | Betty Forbes (NZL) | 1.57 |
| Long jump |
Decima Norman (AUS) | 5.80 | Ethel Raby (ENG) | 5.65 | Thelma Peake (AUS) | 5.55 |
| Javelin throw |
Robina Higgins (CAN) | 38.28 | Antonia Robertson (SAF) | 36.98 | Gladys Lunn (ENG) | 36.41 |
Medal table
* Host nation (Australia)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada (CAN) | 8 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
| 2 | Australia (AUS)* | 6 | 11 | 12 | 29 |
| 3 | South Africa (RSA) | 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | England (ENG) | 4 | 8 | 2 | 14 |
| 5 | New Zealand (NZL) | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| 6 | Wales (WAL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Scotland (SCO) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (7 entries) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 84 | |
Participating nations
- Australia (78)
- British Ceylon (4)
- Canada (37)
- England (24)
- New Zealand (19)
- Northern Ireland (3)
- Scotland (4)
- South Africa (12)
- Southern Rhodesia (2)
- Trinidad and Tobago (3)
- Wales (1)
References
- ^ "Boots Run In 880 Final Magnificent". The Telegraph Brisbane. 8 February 1938. p. 16. Retrieved 27 August 2025 – via Trove.
- ^ Fact sheet 188 – Empire Games, Sydney, 1938. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved on 2010-09-02.
- Results
- Commonwealth Games Medallists - Men. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-02.
- Commonwealth Games Medallists - Women. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-02.
External links
- 1938 Games Commentary and video of men's 100 yards from British Pathé