Keith Connor

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Keith Connor

| image =

| caption =

| nationality = British/Anguillian

| sport = Athletics

| event = triple jump

| club = Wolverhampton & Bilston AC
Windsor, Slough & Eton AC

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1957|09|16}}

| birth_place = South Hill, Anguilla

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =186 cm

| weight =78 kg

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country | {{GBR2}} }}

{{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }}

}}

Keith Leroy Connor (born 16 September 1957 in Anguilla, an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) is a male retired athlete who represented Great Britain and England. He competed in the triple jump at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1984 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/68974 |title=Biographical Information |website=Olympedia |access-date=7 June 2025}}

Biography

= Athletics career =

Connor migrated with his parents to Great Britain in 1964.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} He went on to represent Great Britain as an athlete.

Connor finished second behind Aston Moore in the triple jump event at both the 1976 AAA Championships{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002135/19760816/343/0011 |title=Weekend sport |work=Birmingham Daily Post |date=16 August 1976 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=7 June 2025}} and the 1978 AAA Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=7 June 2025}} Despite being beaten by Moore at the AAAs, he gained revenge by winning the gold medal for England in the triple jump event, at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada, with Moore taking the bronze.{{cite web |url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/edmonton-1978/athletes |title=1978 Athletes |website=Team England}}

Connor finally became the British triple jump champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1979 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=7 June 2025}} The following year at the 1980 Olympics Games in Moscow, he represented Great Britain, finishing just outside the medals in fourth place.

Two years later he won the triple jump gold again when he represented England, at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia.{{cite web |url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/brisbane-1982/athletes |title=1982 Athletes |website=Team England}}{{cite web |url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/39637 |title=Athletes and results |website=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=28 September 2019 |archive-date=28 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928100955/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/39637 |url-status=dead }} He then won the 1982 European Athletics Championships gold and a bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Keith Connor |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/keith-connor-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174814/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/keith-connor-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17}}

Connor attended the University of Texas at El Paso in the USA from 1978 to 1980 and later transferred the Southern Methodist University (SMU) where he competed with distinction in the US national collegiate (NCAA). [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=3936].

= Coaching career =

He retired from active competition in 1984 due to injury and began an illustrious career as a coach and sports administrator. Connor was appointed head coach at the New South Wales Institute of Sport in 1990, after spending several years coaching on the American college scene following his retirement from competition. He was credited with helping Australian athletes to win medals at the Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney Olympics due to his work in revamping the New South Wales Institute of Sport. Following his successes at NSW Institute of Sport, Connor was given the appointed as head coach of Athletics Australia in 2001.

The Australian press has described him, admiringly, as a hard-nosed disciplinarian. Herb Elliott, chairman of an Australian Sports Commission review of the sport, said: "There is a view that he has moved the sport forward. He's had to take some very tough action. As a consequence, he's rubbed a few people up the wrong way and some are against him… but he's done an excellent job." In 2006 Keith was turned down for the job of Head Coach to British Athletics Board although he was regarded by most as the best candidate. This was his second rejection by BAB the first being in 1990. Allegations of racism surrounded his rejection.

Personal life

Since the expiration of his contract in 2006 Keith has been a Sport Consultant to national associations, sporting bodies, sponsors and individuals.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

International competitions

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{GBR2}}
rowspan=2\|1978 \|European Indoor Championships \|Milan, Italy \|bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|Triple jump \|16.53 m
Commonwealth Games \|Edmonton, Canada \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|Triple jump \|17.21 m {{AthAbbr\|w}}
rowspan=2\|1982 \|European Championships \|Athens, Greece \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|Triple jump \|17.29 m
Commonwealth Games \|Brisbane, Australia \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|Triple jump \|17.81 m {{AthAbbr\|w}}
1983 \|World Championships \|Helsinki, Finland \|15th ({{AthAbbr\|q}}) \|Triple Jump \|16.18 m
1984 \|Olympic Games \|Los Angeles, United States \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|Triple jump \|16.87 m

colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}}

rowspan=2|1978

|European Indoor Championships

|Milan, Italy

|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|Triple jump

|16.53 m

Commonwealth Games

|Edmonton, Canada

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|Triple jump

|17.21 m {{AthAbbr|w}}

rowspan=2|1982

|European Championships

|Athens, Greece

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|Triple jump

|17.29 m

Commonwealth Games

|Brisbane, Australia

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|Triple jump

|17.81 m {{AthAbbr|w}}

1983

|World Championships

|Helsinki, Finland

|15th ({{AthAbbr|q}})

|Triple Jump

|16.18 m

1984

|Olympic Games

|Los Angeles, United States

|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd

|Triple jump

|16.87 m

References

Marks, Kathy (2001-04-09). [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/connor-makes-big-jump-in-australia-680764.html Connor makes big jump in Australia]. The Independent. Retrieved on 2010-08-25.

External links

{{World Athletics|14356472}}
{{European Athletics|14356472|old_id= c/athlete=187178-connor-keith |archive= 20200724084255 }}
{{Olympics.com|keith-connor|oc_archive=20201017034246|org_archive=20200605125012}}
{{Olympedia}}

{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's triple jump}}

Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:English male triple jumpers

Category:British male triple jumpers

Category:Olympic male triple jumpers

Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain

Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain

Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics