Bill Hartley (athlete)

William John Hartley (born 27 June 1950) is an English former athlete.

Bill Hartley
Personal information
Full nameWilliam John Hartley
Born27 June 1950 (1950-06-27) (age 74)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1974 Rome 4 × 400 m relay
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 1974 Christchurch 4 × 400 m relay

Athletics career

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Hartley was raised in Lydiate, Lancashire (now Merseyside) on the outskirts of Liverpool where his family ran a market garden. He began his athletic career at age 13 as a high jumper. By age 18 he held the Under-19 record for 400m hurdles (52.9 seconds). Following success in national and international competition, Hartley won a silver medal representing England at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand[1][2][3] and then a gold medal at the European Championships in Rome in the 400m relay. He also represented England in the 400 metres hurdles event, at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[4]

He was a member of the winning Europa Cup 4 × 400 m relay team, along with Alan Pascoe, David Jenkins and Jim Aukett. An achilles tendon problem ended his running career in 1982, after which he became a sprint coach and conditioner for Widnes Rugby League Club and then Wigan Rugby League Club.

Personal life

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In 1977 Hartley married fellow athlete Donna Hartley. The marriage later ended in divorce. Hartley now runs the family floriculture business in Lydiate.

His son Tom Hartley plays for Lancashire County Cricket Club and England.

References

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  1. ^ "1974 Games". Team England.
  2. ^ "Athletes, 1974 England team". Team England.
  3. ^ "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  4. ^ "1978 Athletes". Team England.
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