Murray Cheater facts for kids
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 January 1947 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 4 August 2020 (aged 73) Rotorua, New Zealand |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Weight | 100 kg |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Hammer throw |
| Club | Papatoetoe Athletic Club Rotorua Athletic Club Lake City Athletic Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | Hammer throw champion (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984) |
| Personal best(s) | 71.20 m (233 ft 7 in) |
Murray Spencer Cheater (born 26 January 1947 – died 4 August 2020) was a famous New Zealand athlete. He was best known for his amazing skills in the hammer throw event. Murray proudly represented his country at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Contents
About Murray Cheater's Life
Murray Cheater was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 26 January 1947. He grew up to become one of New Zealand's top athletes.
Early Athletics and Club Life
Murray started his athletics journey with the Papatoetoe Athletic Club. Later, in the mid-1970s, he moved to Rotorua. There, he joined the Rotorua Athletic Club, which later became the Lake City Athletic Club.
National Champion and Record Breaker
Murray was incredibly successful in the hammer throw. He won the New Zealand national men's hammer throw title ten times! He was the champion almost every year from 1974 to 1984, only missing out in 1980.
He also broke the New Zealand record for the hammer throw a remarkable 16 times. His personal best throw was 71.20 meters, which he achieved in January 1976. This was a huge accomplishment!
Representing New Zealand on the World Stage
Murray Cheater competed for New Zealand in major international events.
Commonwealth Games Performance
In 1974, he represented New Zealand at the British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch. He finished in fifth place in the hammer throw, with a best throw of 65.82 meters.
Olympic Games Experience
Two years later, in 1976, Murray competed at the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. He threw 67.38 meters in the qualifying round. He finished 16th overall, which meant he did not move on to the final round. Even so, competing at the Olympics is a huge achievement for any athlete.
Later Life
After his athletics career, Murray Cheater ran a contracting business in Rotorua. He passed away in Rotorua on 4 August 2020.
