Don Evans (athlete)

Cyril Vardon "Don" Evans (24 October 1909 – 26 February 1980) was a New Zealand middle-distance runner who represented his country at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Don Evans
Personal information
Full nameCyril Vardon Evans
Born(1909-10-24)24 October 1909
Taihape, New Zealand
Died26 February 1980(1980-02-26) (aged 70)
Whanganui, New Zealand
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportAthletics
Achievements and titles
National finals440 yards champion (1931)
880 yards champion (1930, 1931, 1935)
1 mile champion (1930)
Personal best(s)880 yards – 1:54.8

Biography

Born in Taihape in 1909,[1] Evans was the son of Grace Emily (née Wood) and John Evans. As a youth, Evans competed in professional athletics meetings in Taihape as there were no amateur meets in that area. At one such competition in March 1929 he won the 440 yards, 880 yards and 1 mile events, and collected a purse of £35,[2] but at a meeting of the council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association in October 1929 he was reinstated as an amateur.[3]

At the 1930 national amateur athletics championships, Evans won both the 880 yards and 1 mile titles,[4] but he was not selected for the New Zealand team to the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario, as he was deemed ineligible because of his earlier professional status.[5]

In February 1931, Evans broke the Australasian 880 yards record at a meet in Whanganui, recording a time of 1:54.8.[6] At the end of that month he won both the 440 yards and 880 yards titles at the national championships.[4] Following negotiations between the New Zealand Amateur Athletics Association and the English Amateur Athletics Association later in 1931, Evans was deemed eligible to compete at the Olympic Games.[7] He was duly selected as a member of the New Zealand team to compete at the 1932 Olympics, where he finished fifth in his 800 m heat and did not progress.[8]

Evans won one more national athletics title, the 880 yards in 1935.[4]

He died at Whanganui in 1980,[1] and his ashes were buried in Aramoho Cemetery.[9]

References
  1. "Cyril Evans bio, stats, and results". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  2. "A coming champion: career of Don Evans". Auckland Star. 11 March 1930. p. 14. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  3. "Amateur athletics: council meeting". Evening Post. 3 October 1929. p. 17. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  4. Hollings, Stephen (January 2015). "National champions 1887–2014" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. pp. 14–20. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  5. "Evans not eligible". Evening Post. 5 April 1930. p. 9. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  6. "Americans at Wanganui". Referee. 25 February 1931. p. 15. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  7. "Reinstated athlete: Evans and the Games". Evening Post. 16 July 1931. p. 21. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  8. "Cyril Evans". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  9. "Cemetery search". Wanganui District Council. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
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