{{short description|British athlete}} {{use dmy dates|date=October 2017}} {{Use British English|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Harry Whittle | image = | caption = | nationality = British (English) | birth_date = {{birth date|1922|5|2|df=yes}} | birth_place = Bolton, England | death_date = {{death date and age|1990|5|11|1922|5|2|df=yes}} | death_place = Bolton, England | height =183 cm | weight =78 kg | sport = Track and field | event = 400 metres hurdles | club = Bath AC<br>Reading Athletic Club | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's athletics}} {{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}} {{MedalCompetition|European Championships}} {{MedalBronze|1950 Brussels|400 m hurdles}} }}
'''Harold 'Harry' Whittle''' (2 May 1922 – 11 May 1990) was a British hurdler and long jumper who competed at two Olympic Games.<ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wh/harry-whittle-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418035819/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wh/harry-whittle-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Harry Whittle Olympic Results |access-date=2 October 2017}}</ref>
== Biography == Whittle was educated at Queen Street Council School and Bolton School before taking a civil engineering degree at the University of Manchester.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/bsalumni/docs/106261_bs_the_bugle_spr22_cropped/s/15575929 |title=Harry Whittle – Old Boy and British Olympic Athletics Captain |date=22 April 2024 |website=Issuu |access-date=18 April 2025}}</ref>
Whittle became the British 440 yards hurdles champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1947 AAA Championships.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19470719/076/0004 |title=Great run follows air-taxi dash |work=Daily News (London) |date=19 July 1947 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19470721/062/0004 |title=Army man steals limelight and 2 titles |work=Daily News (London) |date=21 July 1947 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref>
After successfully retaining his title at the 1948 AAA Championships, he represented the Great Britain team at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, in the 400 metres hurdles event.<ref name=oly>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69594 |title=Biographical Information |website=Olympedia |access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref>
He won his third consecutive AAA title before representing the England athletics team at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/auckland-1950/athletes |title=Auckland 1950 Team |website=Team England |access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref> competing in four events; the 440 yards, 440 yards hurdles, long jump and triple jump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/37707|title=Athletes and results|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation|access-date=20 July 2019|archive-date=9 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109062150/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/37707|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/auckland-1950/athletes|title=1950 Athletes|publisher=Team England}}</ref>
Just five months later he won his fourth AAA title and also won a bronze medal at the 1950 European Athletics Championships in Brussels. He then proceeded to win three more AAA titles in 1951, 1952<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19520623/121/0006 |title=Harry Whittle would be ideal Olympic team captain |work=Daily Herald |date=23 June 1952 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=21 April 2025}}</ref> and 1953, making him a seven consecutive British champion in 440 yards hurdles.<ref>{{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 April 2025}}</ref> His all-round ability also enabled him to claim two long jump national championships in 1947 and 1949.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=9 April 2025}}</ref>
Whittle represented the Great Britain team at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, where he was named the team captain.<ref name=oly/>
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittle, Harry}} Category:1922 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Category:British men hurdlers Category:British men long jumpers Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for England Category:English men hurdlers Category:British men sprinters Category:British men triple jumpers Category:English men triple jumpers Category:English men long jumpers Category:20th-century English sportsmen