Chris Maddocks

{{short description|British Olympic race walker and journalist, born 1957}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| headercolor =

| name = Chris Maddocks

| image =File:Chris Maddocks Commentating.jpg

| image_size = 240px

| caption = Maddocks commentating at the International 100 Mile Centurion Championship 2018

| birth_name =

| fullname = {{nowrap|Christopher Lloyd Maddocks}}

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| nationality = British

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|3|28|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tiverton, Devon

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| country = {{GBR2}}

| sport = Athletics

| event = Racewalking

| collegeteam =

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| retired = 2002

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| worlds = 1983 - 50 km - 9th
1989 - 20 km - 15th

| regionals = {{nowrap|2000 European - 20 km - 49th}}

| nationals =

| olympics = 1984 - 50 km - 16th
1988 - 20 km - 24th
1992 - 20 km - 16th
1996 - 50 km - 34th
2000 - 50 km - 39th

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| updated = 16 July 2012

}}

Christopher Lloyd Maddocks (born 28 March 1957) is a male retired race walker from Great Britain. He competed in five consecutive Summer Olympics for his native country, starting in 1984. In his final competitive race, the 50 km walk at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he overcame a hamstring injury to finish in last place. In completing the race, he set the record as the first British track athlete to compete in five Olympic Games. Following his retirement, he became a sports journalist.

Athletic career

Born in Tiverton, Devon, he started in athletics as a cross country runner, and had ambitions to run marathons. Prior to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, he set a new British record in the 50 km walk, winning in Gydinia. In spite of achieving the Olympic qualifying time, he was not selected for the Games. He broke the record again winning in Paris a month after the Olympics. He then retired from the sport on a "semi-basis" for two and a half years.

In 1983, Maddocks improved his British 50 km record again with a ninth-place finish at the IAAF World Cup in Bergen, Norway.{{cite web|url=http://dt9guucc6nuua.cloudfront.net/competitioninfo/eb5a25b5-f093-4f02-9869-3a5c496df204.pdf|title=25th IAAF World Race Walking cup. Saransk 2012. Facts and Figures|page=18|author=IAAF|publisher=cloudfront.net|accessdate=4 October 2018}} He made his first Olympic appearance at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,{{cite news|last=Turnbull|first=Simon|title=There's no business like shoe business|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/theres-no-business-like-shoe-business-709032.html|accessdate=16 July 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=30 July 2000}} finishing his race in sixteenth place. Maddocks was runner up in the English Commonwealth Games trials in 1986, qualifying him for the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.{{cite news|title=Women athletes closer to agreement|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gLVAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=uqUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5045,7035195&dq=chris-maddocks&hl=en|page=10|accessdate=16 July 2012|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald|date=28 April 1986}} At the Games, he finished the race in fourth position. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he finished in 24th position in the men's 20 km walk.{{cite news|title=Olympic results|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7PJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UIYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4333,3373669&dq=chris-maddocks&hl=en|page=9|accessdate=16 July 2012|newspaper=The Vindicator|date=23 September 1988}}

In November 1989, Maddocks was part of an invited elite field of international race walkers in the New York Marathon. He finished second behind Mexican Carlos Mercenario in a British record 3 hours 14 minutes 37 seconds.{{cite news|publisher=Athletics Weekly|title=British Race Walking Legend Chris Maddocks|page=37|date=25 November 2015}} The following year, he regained the British 50 km record at Burrator, England, with a winning time of 3 hours 51 minutes 37 seconds.{{cite web|url=http://www.racewalkingassociation.org.uk/BestPerfs.html|title=Race Walking Association. Best Performances.|author=RWA|accessdate=5 October 2018}}

Maddocks's final international race was at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. He had set an Olympic qualifying time of 3 hours 57 minutes and 10 seconds when winning the Dutch 50 km championship race in March 2000. Prior to the games he was refused National Lottery funding and he could not find a shoe sponsor, although ASICS sent him a complimentary pair. He injured his hamstring before the race but entered the race nonetheless;{{cite news|last=Fox|first=Norman|title=No place for gallantry in gongs for gold Norman Fox bemoans notable omissions from the New Year honours|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5115915.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125085013/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5115915.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2013|accessdate=16 July 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=31 December 2000|url-access=subscription }} he fell behind the rest of the athletes. He entered the Stadium Australia as I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers was played over the loudspeakers in his honour, and as the 100,000 crowd cheered him on to finish. His time was 4 hours, 52 minutes and 4 seconds, more than an hour after Robert Korzeniowski won the race. His completion of the race meant that he became the first British track athlete to compete in five Olympic Games.{{cite news|title=Maddocks strides into Aussie hearts|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics2000/athletics-track/947941.stm|accessdate=16 July 2012|newspaper=BBC Sport|date=29 September 2000}} Tessa Sanderson remains the record holder in all sports, having appeared at six Olympic Games for Great Britain.

After the 2000 Summer Olympics, his lack of an honour in the New Years Honours List was criticised as he took a break from competitive athletics.

Journalist and Commentator

In April 2002, two months after he started studying journalism at University of Leeds, Maddocks announced his retirement from professional athletics.{{cite news|title=Hemery praises five-times Olympian|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1912379.stm|accessdate=16 July 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=5 April 2002}}

He won an award for services to athletics at the 2000 British Athletics Writers Awards, having become a freelance journalist following his retirement from professional athletics. He was an analyst for the racewalking events for American television network NBC in 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|title=Chris Maddocks Race Walking Analyst|url=http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/bio/chris-maddocks/|accessdate=22 August 2018|newspaper=NBC Sports Group}} He also commentates at sporting events such as the National 100 mile Centurion Walking championship in 2018.{{cite web|title=Five time Olympian takes on new challenge with 24 hour commentary. Mr Maddocks took on the challenging assignment on August 18 and 19|url=https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/five-time-olympian-takes-new-1966336|newspaper=Devon News|date=3 September 2018|author=Lewis Clarke|accessdate=1 October 2018}}

Personal life

Maddocks lives in Devon with wife Fiona and daughter Eleanor. Whilst he competed, he worked as a veterinary assistant in Plymouth.{{cite news|last=Turnbull|first=Simon|title=Long walk into history Chris Maddocks is heading for his fifth Olympics. Yet he remains unknown.|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5073939.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125070706/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5073939.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2013|accessdate=16 July 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=23 April 2000|url-access=subscription }}

Autobiography

Chris struggled with his inner demons for many years before writing his autobiography. "Money Walks" was published to coincide with the 2012 Olympics, at which time Chris was a specialist TV sports commentator for NBC. The book is available on Amazon.