Sport Athletics Event(s) 200 m, 400 m | Name Guy Butler Role Olympic athlete | |
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Born 25 August 1899 Harrow, Great Britain Alma mater University of Cambridge Personal best(s) 200 m – 21.7 (1927)
400 m – 48.0 (1924) Died February 22, 1981, St Neots, United Kingdom Education Harrow School, Trinity College, Cambridge Olympic medals Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay Club University of Cambridge, Achilles Club Similar People Bevil Rudd, Eric Liddell, Geo Andre | ||
Guy Montagu Butler (25 August 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a British sprinter, winner of the gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 1920 Summer Olympics. With four Olympic medals Guy Butler shares the British record for the number of medals in athletics with Sebastian Coe and Mo Farah.
Butler was born in Harrow, Middlesex, and attended the local Harrow School, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and Trinity College, Cambridge. His father also attended the Harrow School and competed in cricket and athletics at the national level. At the Antwerp Olympics in 1920, Butler won the silver medal in the individual 400 m and anchored the British 4 × 400 m relay team to a gold medal in 3:22.2. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, he won bronze in the 400 m and again anchored the British 4 × 400 m relay team, this time winning bronze in 3:17.4. In 1928 he became the first British track and field athlete to compete in three Olympics; he reached a 200 m quarterfinal, and retired shortly thereafter.
Butler won the British AAA Championships in 440 yd (400 m) in 1919 and in 220 yd (200 m) in 1926. He also ran the 300 yd (270 m) world record of 30.6 in 1926.
In retirement, Butler was a schoolmaster, then an athletics journalist, and a pioneer of filming athletes in action. He contributed to the design of the White City Stadium and worked as the athletics correspondent for The Morning Post until it was merged with The Daily Telegraph in 1937.