Lynn Davies
Field
Wales' only individual Olympic Athletics Champion, Davies won gold in the long jump at Tokyo 1964 — the first athlete to simultaneously hold Olympic, European, and Commonwealth titles. His personal best of 8.23m remains the fourth-best British performance of all time.
Biography
Lynn Davies was born in Nantymoel and first attracted the attention of National Coach Ron Pickering in 1961. After a promising debut at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, he achieved his defining moment at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics, winning gold in the long jump and sparking nationwide celebration across Wales.
His personal best of 8.23m, set in Berne in June 1968, remains the fourth-best British performance of all time. Davies became the first athlete to simultaneously hold Olympic, European, and Commonwealth long jump titles, won 28 of his 43 senior international appearances, and set 17 British records.
After retirement he served as Technical Director for Canada’s athletics programme (1973-1975), before returning to Wales to work with the Sports Council and serve as British team manager. He received an MBE and CBE (2006) for services to the sport, and serves as vice-patron of Welsh Athletics and President of UK Athletics.