Roger Hackney
{{short description|Welsh long-distance runner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| birth_name = Roger Graham Hackney
| nationality = Welsh
| residence =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|9|2|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Swansea, Wales
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{height|m=1.83}}
| weight = {{cvt|74|kg}}
| country = {{GBR2}}
{{WAL}}
| sport = Athletics
| event =
| club = Aldershot, Farnham & District AC
Farnborough
Royal Air Force
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Men's athletics}}
{{Medal|Country|{{WAL}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|Commonwealth Games}}
{{Medal|Silver|1986 Edinburgh|3000 m steeplechase}}
}}
Roger Graham Hackney (born 2 September 1957) is a Welsh former long-distance runner who specialised in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He represented Great Britain in three Olympic Games and won a silver medal for Wales at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
Biography
Hackney, who was a member of the Royal Air Force, and trained at Aldershot, Farnham and District AC, specialised in the 3000m steeplechase. He made his Olympics debut as a 22-year old at the 1980 Moscow Games and was seventh in his semi-final, only just missing out on a spot in the final, with the next best time of the competitors that missed out.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1980/ATH/mens-3000-metres-steeplechase.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174410/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1980/ATH/mens-3000-metres-steeplechase.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|title=Athletics at the 1980 Moskva Summer Games: Men's 3,000 metres Steeplechase|publisher=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|accessdate=5 September 2016}}
At the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Hackney came fifth in the final of the steeplechase.{{cite web|url=http://www.welshathletics.org/about-us/our-history/hall-of-fame/roger-hackney.aspx|title=Roger Hackney - About us|publisher=Welsh Athletics (Athletau Cymru)|accessdate=5 September 2016}}
His best performance in the Olympics came at the 1984 Los Angeles Games where he ran the semi-final in 8:20.77 and qualified for the final, in which he finished 10th.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19860106&id=2P89AAAAIBAJ&sjid=f0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4819,536465&hl=en|title=Hackney With Flying Colours|date=6 January 1986|work=The Glasgow Herald|page=8|accessdate=5 September 2016}}
He won a silver medal representing Wales in the steeplechase at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, in a time of 8:25.15, behind Canada's Graeme Fell and ahead of Colin Reitz, another British athlete.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19810706&id=Uu5AAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kacMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3082,1073728&hl=en|title=A victory for the unsung British heroes|last=Northam|first=Randall|date=6 July 1981|work=The Glasgow Herald|page=16|accessdate=5 September 2016}} The field was weakened by the absence of many African countries, most notably Kenya, which boycotted the competition over the Thatcher government's sporting links with apartheid South Africa.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19860728&id=FLJjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kOgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2516,9374478&hl=en|title=A Black day for Clark|last=Webster|first=Jim|date=28 July 1986|work=Sydney Morning Herald|page=50|accessdate=5 September 2016}} In 1986 he was also eighth at the European Championships.
He was part of the Great British Olympic team for a third and final time at the 1988 Seoul Games. By then aged 31, Hackney once more made it to the semi-final stage, but was unable to complete the race and didn't register a time.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1988/ATH/mens-3000-metres-steeplechase.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174417/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1988/ATH/mens-3000-metres-steeplechase.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|title=Athletics at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games: Men's 3,000 metres Steeplechase|publisher=Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|accessdate=5 September 2016}}
His personal best time, 8:18.91, is a Welsh record and was set in 1988, while competing in Belgium. He is the only non Belgian man to win the Lotto Cross Cup.
He now works in Leeds as an orthopaedic surgeon.{{cite news|url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/health/surgeon-s-innovation-relieves-shoulder-pain-1-6633016|title=Surgeon's innovation relieves shoulder pain|date=23 May 2014|work=Yorkshire Evening Post|accessdate=5 September 2016}}
International competitions
All results regarding 3000 metres steeplechase unless stated otherwise.
| {{AchievementTable}} |
| colspan=5| Representing {{GBR2}} / {{WAL}} |
|---|
| 1979
|World Cross Country Championships (12 km) |Limerick, Ireland |153rd |41:17 |
| rowspan=2|1980
|World Cross Country Championships (12.58 km) |Paris, France |62nd |38:43 |
| Olympic Games
|Moscow, Soviet Union |13th (h) |8:29.2 |
| 1981
|World Cross Country Championships (12 km) |Madrid, Spain |126th |37:17 |
| rowspan=4|1982
|World Cross Country Championships (12 km) |Rome, Italy |103rd |36:06 |
| European Championships
|Athens, Greece |21st (h) |8:39.22 |
| rowspan=2|Commonwealth Games
|rowspan=2|Brisbane, Australia |4th |8:32.84 |
| 11th
|13:51.20 (5000 m) |
| 1983
|5th |8:19.38 |
| 1984
|Los Angeles, United States |10th |8:27.10 |
| rowspan=2|1986
|Edinburgh, United Kingdom |bgcolor=silver|2nd |8:25.15 |
| European Championships
|Stuttgart, Germany |8th |8:20.97 |
| 1987
|Rome, Italy |14th |8:48.86 |
| rowspan=2|1988
|World Cross Country Championships (12 km) |Auckland, New Zealand |13th |35:59 |
| Olympic Games
|Seoul, South Korea |DNF (sf) |8:39.30 ((heats) |
| 1989
|World Cross Country Championships (12 km) |Stavanger, Norway |DNF |— |
| rowspan=2|1990
|rowspan=2|Commonwealth Games |rowspan=2|Auckland, New Zealand |7th |8:36.62 |
| 14th
|14:27.06 (5000 m) |
| colspan=5| (#) Indicates overall position in qualifying heats (h) or semifinals (sf). DNF = did not finish |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{World Athletics}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20200418040727/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/roger-hackney-1.html Roger Hackney] at Sports Reference
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackney, Roger}}
Category:Sportspeople from Swansea
Category:Welsh male long-distance runners
Category:British male long-distance runners
Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Wales
Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1986 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games
Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain