{{short description|British athlete}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Use British English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Peter Warden | image = | caption = | nationality = British (English) | sport = Track and field | event = 400 metres hurdles | club = Airedale Harriers - Athlete Preston Harriers - Coach | team = | pb = 400 Hurdles - 50.68<br>400 meters - 46.9 | show-medals = | collegeteam = Loughbrough University | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1941|7|7|df=yes}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | height = 5ft 6.5" | weight = 128lbs | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Athletics}} {{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }} {{MedalCompetition|British Empire & Commonwealth Games}} {{MedalBronze| 1966 Kingston | 440y hurdles}} {{MedalBronze| 1966 Kingston | 440y relay}} }}

'''Peter Warden''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|BEM}} (born 7 July 1941) is a British hurdler and former National Coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/famous-faces-new-year-honours-19537820 |title=The famous faces on the New Year Honours list - including those from Greater Manchester |work=Manchester Evening News |accessdate=31 December 2020}}</ref>

== Biography == Warden finished second behind John Cooper in the 440 yards hurdles event at the 1964 AAA Championships.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19640711/167/0011 |title=Six-mile Smasher |work=Daily Herald |date=11 July 1964 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000729/19640712/262/0022 |title=White City round-up |work=The People |date=12 July 1964 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref>

Later that year, Warden competed in the men's 400 metres hurdles at the 1964 Summer Olympics.<ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/peter-warden-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418035921/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/peter-warden-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Peter Warden Olympic Results |accessdate=4 October 2017}}</ref> Warden, Mike Hogan and the eventual silver medalist John Cooper were the only British men to contest the event. Warden progressed to the semi-final after placing third in his heat with a time of 51.6 seconds. He missed out on a place in the Olympic final by just two hundredths of a second after placing fifth in his semi-final behind the gold medalist Rex Cawley.

Representing England, Warden won a bronze medal in the 440 yard hurdles and the 4 x 440 yards relay at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. In this individual race 'Little Peter Warden' as he was dubbed by the commentator, hits the first hurdle and flicks grit from the cinder track into his eye, but continues racing and pulls out a staggering finish.<ref>{{Citation|last=athleticslj601|title=1966 Commonwealth Games 440 Hurdles|date=29 December 2011|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6mbRo1120A|accessdate=14 March 2018}}</ref> The English relay team consisted of Martin Winbolt-Lewis, John Adey and Timothy Graham, with Warden running the third leg. The team were drawn in lane 4 with the favourites, Trinidad and Tabago on their outside in lane 8. The team finished a fantastic third and gained England another medal and contributing to their total of 80 medals at these Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/kingston-1966/athletes|title=1966 Athletes|publisher=Team England}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/kingston-1966|title=Kingston, Jamaica, 1966 Team|publisher=Team England}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/37717|title=Athletes and results|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation}}</ref>

Warden finished on the podium again at the 1966 AAA Championships and 1967 AAA Championships.<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=8 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=8 May 2025}}</ref> Also in 1967, Warden competed at the Kenya AAA's Championships (known as the 'Three As') and finished third despite the oxygen deprivation caused by competing at 1,795m above sea-level. In the report by British Pathé,<ref>{{Citation|last=British Pathé|title=Kenya - Three 'a's (1967)|date=13 April 2014|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy8OGTPJadA|accessdate=14 March 2018}}</ref> Warden and the British athletes had to be given pure oxygen after their races due to the impact of the altitude on their bodies.

He is currently listed as 66th on the British All-Time list for the 400 meter hurdles <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thepowerof10.info/rankings/rankinglist.aspx?event=400H&agegroup=ALL&sex=M&alltime=y|title=Ranking List|website=www.thepowerof10.info|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

Under the British Athletics Federation (later became UK Athletics) Warden was made National Coach for the North West and was later made National Jumps Coach. In this position he coached many athletes including Max Robertson and was team manager at several Olympiads. However, in 1997 when the British Athletics Federation collapsed Warden, along with 8 other National Coaches including Bruce Longden who was instrumental in the career of Sally Gunnell, were made redundant.

In 2012 Peter carried the Olympic torch during the torch relay for the 2012 London Summer Olympics and was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to athletics in North West England.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=63218|supp=y|page=N36|date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

== Publications == Publications include 'Sprinting and Hurdling (The Skills of the Game)'.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sprinting-Hurdling-Skills-Peter-Warden/dp/1852232994|title=Sprinting and Hurdling|last=Warden|first=Peter|date=1 July 1989|publisher=The Crowood Press Ltd|isbn=9781852232993|edition= 2nd Revised|location=Wiltshire, England|language=English}}</ref>

== References== {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Warden, Peter}} Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Category:British men hurdlers Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Recipients of the British Empire Medal Category:Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Category:Loughborough University athletes Category:English men hurdlers Category:English athletics coaches Category:Sportspeople from Greater Manchester Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in athletics