Jim Alford
Track
Won the mile at the 1938 Sydney Empire Games in a Games and Welsh record of 4:11.5. Became the first National Coach for Wales in 1948 and mentored numerous Olympic and Commonwealth medallists.
Biography
Jim Alford (1913-2004) was born in Cardiff and became one of the most important figures in Welsh athletics history as both an athlete and coach. He won the mile at the 1938 Sydney Empire Games with a Games and Welsh record of 4:11.5, and won eleven Welsh track titles across distances from 440 yards to 3 miles.
He also won gold in the 800m and 1,500m at the 1937 World University Games in Paris and represented Great Britain five times. After his competitive career he became the first National Coach for Wales in 1948, mentoring numerous Olympic and Commonwealth medallists including Ken Jones and Ron Jones.
Alford authored influential coaching manuals including an AAA instructional booklet on middle-distance running. He remained active in coaching into his late eighties and was posthumously inducted into Welsh Athletics’ Hall of Fame in 2024.