Godfrey Rampling

{{Short description|British army officer and Olympic medalist (1909–2009)}}

{{MedalTableTop|1934 Godfrey Rampling ENGLAND.jpg|200px|Rampling in 1934}}

{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}

{{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}}

Godfrey Lionel Rampling (14 May 1909 – 20 June 2009) was an English athlete and army officer who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He turned 100 on 14 May 2009 and was the oldest living British Olympian at the time of his death.

Life and career

Rampling was born in Blackheath, London, the son of Gertrude Anne (Taylor) and Horace Johnson Rampling, a costumier.{{cite ODNB|id=102161|title=Rampling, Godfrey Lionel|orig-year=2013|year=2013|last=Holt|first=Richard}} After attending the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in 1929.{{London Gazette|issue=33530|page=5644|date=30 August 1929}} In 1932 he was promoted to lieutenant.{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=33859|page=5561|date=30 August 1932}} Rampling won the British AAA championships 440 yards title at the 1931 AAA Championships{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19310704/264/0013 |title=Athletics records may be smashed today |work=Daily News (London) |date=4 July 1931 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2025 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19310706/286/0014 |title=Few AAA titles go abroad |work=Daily Herald |date=6 July 1931 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2025 }} and the 1934 AAA Championships.{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=9 January 2025 }}

At the 1932 Summer Olympics, Rampling was fourth in his semifinal in the individual 400 metre event and didn't reach the final, but ran the anchor leg to help the British 4 × 400 m relay team win the silver medal, behind the United States.

At the 1934 British Empire Games in London, Rampling won the {{convert|440|yd|abbr=on}}, and helped the English 4 × 440 yards relay team to capture the gold medal.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Rampling was again fourth in the semifinals of 400 metre competition and ran the second leg on the British 4 × 400 m relay team which won the gold medal.

Rampling was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Artillery, attached to NATO, until retiring in 1958 after 29 years' service.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8049935.stm Oldest British Olympian turns 100]

He married Isabel Anne (née Gurteen; 1918–2001); their younger daughter Charlotte became a noted model and film actress. Their eldest daughter Sarah committed suicide in 1967.{{Cite news |last=Wintle |first=Angela |date=2017-06-09 |title=Charlotte Rampling: 'I cannot explain it but I have never visited the cemetery where my sister is buried' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/09/charlotte-rampling-i-cannot-explain-it-but-i-have-never-visited-the-cemetery-where-my-sister-is-buried |access-date=2023-09-02 |issn=0261-3077}}

He was, as of October 2007, the last surviving male athletics medallist from the 1932 Summer Olympics and the last male gold medallist in athletics from the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Rampling was Britain's oldest living Olympic Gold medallist and also oldest living Olympic competitor.[http://www.olympics.org.uk/news.aspx?ne=3649 British Olympic Association: Oldest British Olympian Celebrates 100th Birthday]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He celebrated his centenary with his family on 14 May 2009 at Bushey in Hertfordshire.

Rampling died in his sleep aged 100 on 20 June 2009.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090701121451/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/5676486/Britains-oldest-Olympian-Godfrey-Rampling-dies-aged-100.html Telegraph.co.uk.: Britain's oldest Olympian Godfrey Rampling dies aged 100]

References

External links

{{Olympics.com|godfrey-lionel-rampling}}
{{Olympedia}}
[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/jul/08/obituary-godfrey-rampling-sprinter Godfrey Rampling] – Guardian obituary
[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/centurion-rampling-passes-baton-to-london-generation-1682220.html Article on Godfrey Rampling's forthcoming 100th birthday]
[http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=51444.html IAAF Obituary]

Category:1909 births

Category:2009 deaths

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics

Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England

Category:English men centenarians

Category:English male sprinters

Category:British male sprinters

Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain

Category:English Olympic competitors

Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain