Dave Travis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dave Travis

Personal information
Born	(1945-09-09) 9 September 1945 (age 79) Twickenham, London, UK
Height	6 ft 0 in
Weight	190 lb
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Javelin
Medal record Representing  Great Britain World Student Games Gold 1967 Tokyo Javelin throw Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1970 Edinburgh Javelin throw Silver 1974 Christchurch Javelin throw

David Howard Travis (born September 9, 1945) is a British athlete who was a champion javelin thrower. He represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games in 1968 and 1972. He also won a gold medal at the 1967 World Student Games and another gold at the 1970 Commonwealth Games. Dave Travis was an international athlete for 13 years, from 1965 to 1978, and held the British javelin record for four years.

Early Life and School Sports

Dave Travis was born in 1945 in Strawberry Hill, a part of south west London. He spent his early childhood in East Twickenham before his family moved to Hinchley Wood. He went to Hampton Grammar School from 1957 to 1964. This is where his amazing talent for sports really grew.

At school, he was excellent in many athletics events. He first competed in the English Schools Championships in 1960, where he placed second in the under-15 shot put. He won two javelin titles in 1963 and 1964. He was also part of the winning sprint relay team for Middlesex Schools in 1962. When he left school, he was a nationally recognized athlete in three sports: javelin, decathlon, and rugby.

Education and Career Path

After school, Dave Travis studied at Loughborough College from 1965 to 1968. He earned a teaching qualification and a First Class Diploma. From 1968 to 1990, he worked as a PE teacher and a Pastoral Head at Sidney Stringer school in Coventry.

Later, he moved into a career in sports development. This led him to become the Director of Sport in Education for Bristol City Council. His work in this role was recognized with a national Sportsmatch Award in 1999.

Javelin and Decathlon Achievements

After his successful school athletics career, Dave Travis made his first senior international appearance in javelin in 1965. He was chosen to compete in the Empire Games in Jamaica in 1966. A year later, in 1967, he won the World Student Games title in Tokyo. He then made the Olympic team for the 1968 Games in Mexico City.

His coach at the time was Colin Smith, who was also a very successful British javelin thrower. In 1969, he competed in the European Championships in Athens. He finished 9th, which was the best result for a British athlete in that event at the time. He even had a throw that could have won him a bronze medal, but the judges ruled it flat.

The year 1970 was his best. In July, he set a new UK record with a throw of 82.22 meters. He then won the Commonwealth Games title by nearly three meters. He also had a big win in the European Cup, beating Janis Lusis from Russia. Lusis was the Olympic champion and world record holder. Dave Travis's throw of 83.44 meters in that competition set another British record.

He continued to be the top javelin thrower in the UK through the early 1970s. He won seven AAA javelin titles between 1965 and 1974. He also won a silver medal at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. Even though he often threw over 80 meters, his personal best throw remained the same. He was known for being one of the most consistent javelin throwers in the UK. He recorded 21 throws over 80 meters between 1969 and 1974.

Dave Travis also had a decathlon career. He started in 1964 with a British junior record. In 1965, he made his international senior debut in decathlon and briefly held a UK record. In 1968, he tried to qualify for both javelin and decathlon for the Olympic Games. He just missed qualifying for the decathlon, even though he set a new personal best score of 7,067 points. After that season, he decided to focus only on javelin.

Other Sports: Rugby and Weightlifting

While at school, Dave Travis played rugby alongside his athletics. He reached the highest level for school players. In 1963 and 1964, he was chosen to play for English Schools against Wales and France. He was even selected over David Duckham, who later became a major player for the English senior team.

In 1965, he played for Loughborough Colleges. He played alongside the famous Welsh player Gerald Davis. However, he stopped playing rugby that year to focus on athletics. He briefly returned to rugby for the 1970-71 season with Richmond. This was his last time playing at a top level. Later in life, at age 38, he played for Barker Butts RFC in the Warwickshire Cup Final.

Besides his athletics training, Dave Travis also became skilled in Olympic Weightlifting. He trained with the Twickenham and Sunbury clubs. He won titles for Middlesex and South East England. His best lifts were 105 kg for the snatch and 135 kg for the clean and jerk.

Coaching Success

As his days of competing came to an end, Dave Travis started coaching. He worked with a group of throwers in Birmingham, including Dave Ottley and John Trower. This led to him becoming a National Event Coach for a short time.

His coaching helped Dave Ottley win a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. He also helped John Trower become a high-level coach. John Trower went on to help famous athletes like Steve Backley and Mick Hill win international titles.