Harold Moody (athlete)

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Harold Moody

| full_name =

| image = Harold Moody 1950.jpg

| caption = Moody at the 1950 British Empire Games

| nationality = British/New Zealander

| sport = Athletics

| event = Shot put

| pb = 14.32 m (1950)

| club = South London Harriers

| birth_date = {{birth date|1915|11|1|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Camberwell, London, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|1986|9|12|1915|11|1|df=yes}}

| death_place = Auckland, New Zealand

| height =

| weight =

| occupation = Medical practitioner{{cite web |url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/cemeteries/Pages/RecordDetails.aspx?recordId=0650D2659C9609CB02F5260A2ECA0231 |title=Record for Harold Ernest Arundel Moody |publisher=Auckland Council |accessdate=29 May 2020}}

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}}

}}

Harold Ernest Arundel Moody (1 November 1915 – 12 September 1986) was a British shot putter.

Biography

Moody joined the South London Harriers in 1946 and quickly made his mark, earning his first international honours for GB v France when he won the shot put event. Moody finished third behind Aad de Bruyn in the shot put event at the 1946 AAA Championships{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19460720/064/0004 |title=Swede first to win AAA title |work=Daily Herald |date=20 July 1946 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=8 April 2025}}{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19460722/122/0004 |title=AAA results |work=Daily News (London) |date=22 July 1946 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=8 April 2025}} and third behind David Guiney at the 1947 AAA Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=8 April 2025}}

After a second place finish behind Guiney at the 1948 AAA Championships Moody represented the Great Britain team at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, where he competed at the shot put competition.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mo/harold-moody-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418035755/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mo/harold-moody-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Harold Moody Olympic Results |accessdate=5 January 2018}}

The AAA title continued to elude Moody as he was placed second again at the 1949 AAA Championships, this time behind John Giles.{{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=8 April 2025}} However, he did experience success, when he represented the England athletics team at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/auckland-1950/athletes |title=Auckland 1950 Team |website=Team England |access-date=8 April 2025}} and won a silver medal.{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/38468|title=Athletes and results|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=20 July 2019|archive-date=12 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412120018/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/38468|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/auckland-1950/athletes|title=1950 Athletes|publisher=Team England}}

On route to Auckland on the ship Tamaroa, Moody acted as the medical officer to the British party and after the Games Moody decided that he wanted to emigrate to New Zealand.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69318 |title=Biographical Information |website=Olympedia |access-date=8 April 2025}} He duly emigrated and joined the Lynndale AA & HC, where he continued to compete for several years, winning the NZ Shot in 1952/53 and Discus in 1953.{{Cite web|url=http://www.southlondonharriers.org/about-us/gazette.html?id=768|title=South London Harriers - Harold Ernest Arundel Moody|website=www.southlondonharriers.org|access-date=7 April 2019}}

In 1957, Moody became a naturalised New Zealand citizen.{{cite web |url=https://search.ancestry.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=NZNaturalisations&h=70212 |title=New Zealand, naturalisations, 1843–1981 |year=2010 |publisher=Ancestry.com Operations |accessdate=29 May 2020 |url-access=subscription}} He served as borough mayor of Glen Eden in Auckland from 1965 to 1971.{{sfn|Vela|1989|pp=92}} Harold Moody Reserve, a popular Glen Eden sports park and home ground for the Glenora Bears rugby league team, bears his name.{{cite web|url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/parks-recreation/Pages/park-details.aspx?Location=674|title=Harold Moody Reserve|website=aucklandcouncil.govt.nz|access-date=18 October 2024}}

Moody died on 12 September 1986, and his ashes were buried in Waikumete Cemetery, Auckland.

References

Bibliography

{{Cite book| editor-first=Pauline| editor-last=Vela |title=In Those Days: An Oral History of Glen Eden |year=1989 |publisher=Glen Eden Borough Council |isbn=0-473-00862-9}}