Norman Read facts for kids
Read in 1956
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Born | 13 August 1931 Portsmouth, England |
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| Died | 22 May 1994 (aged 62) Pirongia, New Zealand |
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| Height | 178 cm | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Race walking | ||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 20 km – 1:33:54 (1961) 50 km – |
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Medal record
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Norman Richard Read (born August 13, 1931 – died May 22, 1994) was an amazing racewalker from New Zealand. He was born in Portsmouth, England. In 1953, he moved to New Zealand. He even called himself a "Pommie-Kiwi" because of his background! Norman Read became famous for winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Norman Read's Olympic Success
Norman Read competed for New Zealand at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. He took part in the 50 kilometer (about 31 miles) walk. He won the gold medal in this event! Because of this amazing achievement, he was voted New Zealand’s Sportsman of the Year.
He also competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. There, he finished fifth in the 20 kilometer walk. He also started the 50 kilometer race but had to stop before finishing.
Other Achievements
Norman Read won a bronze medal at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. This event took place in Kingston, Jamaica. He earned his medal in the 20-mile walk. This was his last big international competition.
After his international career, Read kept competing in New Zealand for 18 more years. He retired from the sport when he was 52 years old. During his career, he won 18 national titles in New Zealand. He also placed second three times and third four times.
Life After Competing
On August 29, 1968, Norman Read married Megan Ann Crafar in Whangārei. They had three daughters and one son together.
After moving to New Plymouth, he started New Zealand’s very first racewalking club. This helped many other people get involved in the sport.
In 1992, Norman Read became an Olympic judge at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was only the second person from New Zealand to become an Olympic judge.
He received a special award from the International Amateur Athletic Federation in 1987. This was to celebrate their 75th anniversary. In 1990, he was chosen as a founding member of the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. This shows how important he was to sports in New Zealand.
Norman Read sadly passed away from a heart attack in Pirongia. He was taking part in a bike race for older athletes at the time.
See also
In Spanish: Norman Read para niños
