Ken
Wilcock attended Prescot Grammar School
between 1945 and 1950 and has the
distinction of being the only Prescotian
ever to have represented Great Britain. After
leaving PGS Ken started work at the BICC
and his interest in athletics grew after
winning the 880 yds and one mile events
in the Works Sports in 1951. He then
joined Sutton Harriers and concentrated
on the quarter mile winning at the age of
18 the Northern Counties Junior
Championships 440 yds. He first
represented Lancashire in 1955 and
Northern Counties in 1956 and dominated
the Northern Counties Championship
winning the 440 yds in 1958,1960,1961 and
1962. In the Lancashire Championships he
won the 440 yds for five consecutive
years 1958 -1962.
After the
Rome Olympics in 1960 he gave the Olympic
400 metre champion Otis Davis (USA) a
fright only to be overtaken towards the
finishing line. He gained international
selection in 1961 to tour Germany and
Poland with the Great Britain team making
his debut against Poland in Warsaw. The
following year he represented Great
Britain in the European Championships in
Belgrade where he gained a silver medal
in the 4 x 400 metres relay behind
Germany.
|
1. W.Germany (J.Sehmitt,
W.Kindermann, J.Reske, M.Kinder) |
2. Great Britain
(B.Jackson, K.Wilcock, A.MetcaIfe,
R.Brightwell) |
3. Switzerland
(B.Galliker, J.LDescloux, M.Theiler,
H.Bruder) |
...... |
During
the 1962 season he became only the 10th
Britain ever to get below 47.0 seconds
for the 400 metres, the first man being
A.G.K.Brown when winning the Olympic 400
metresd in Berlin in 1936. |
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