Medway Olympic hero to celebrate 60 years in athletics at Medway Mile
Among the hundreds of people lining up on the Medway Mile start line this year will be an Olympic medallist celebrating his 60th year in athletics.
Paul Nihill’s first ever race as an athlete came at the age of eight. It was 1948 – the year London last hosted the Olympic Games.
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Fast forward six decades and Paul can reflect with pride on an illustrious career that saw him win more than 100 national titles, hold two world records and - most importantly – win Olympic silver in the 50km walk at the 1964 Tokyo Games. He also has an MBE to his name for services to sport and can claim to have been the first British athlete to compete in four Olympic Games. |
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Paul will mark his 60th year as an athlete by completing a series of races this summer, including a five-mile race at Moulton in Suffolk next month and the Medway Mile in July.
And at an age when most of us would be taking a well-earned rest and putting our feet up, the 68 year-old is pounding the streets of Medway training for his landmark season.
He said: “I’m doing five or six miles nearly every morning. I go out at 5.50am, so most people are still in bed apart from the early risers on their way to work.”
Paul, who lives in Chatham, was a keen runner and boxer in his youth and only discovered race walking as he recovered from a serious knee injury.
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He completed last year’s Medway Mile with three generations of his family and they all plan to return for this year’s event on 27 July. “Last year’s event was good fun”, he added. “It would be nice to see more and more people do the run every year.” This year’s Medway Mile: Medway Gets Active event takes place on Sunday, 27 July at the Black Lion Leisure Centre at Medway Park, Gillingham. |
The date marks four years to the day until the start of London 2012 and the mass one-mile run will be the climax of a whole day of free sport for all.
There will be free lane swimming during the morning and a family inflatable pool session during the early afternoon.
From 1.30pm until 6.30pm, the public will be able to try their hand at huge array of sports and activities, as clubs and organisations lay on sports taster sessions in indoor and outdoor arenas and in the pool.
Sports already confirmed include:
scuba diving;
rugby;
athletics;
basketball;
badminton;
aerobics and the Echoes gym challenge;
an array of different martial arts.
There will be a series of elite races featuring some of the county’s top club runners from 3pm, ahead of the mass one-mile run at 4pm.
To sign up for this year's mile use the online registration form.
Story published 7 May 2008
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