Norman Read

Norman Read, the 1956 Olympic 50km walk gold medallist, was a popular winner in Melbourne and remained a popular figure in New Zealand athletics, right up to his sudden death in May 1994.

He was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, later being evacuated to Steyning, Sussex during the war and moved to New Zealand in 1953. 

He took up walking in England as he said it was common in the area of Sussex. He won a number of English titles. After attending the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, he decided to move to New Zealand.

He soon established himself as the top walker in the country, winning the inaugural New Zealand 20km and 50km titles in 1956. Also in 1956, he won the Australian 50km walk title in a bid to make the Melbourne Olympic selection. He won it in 4:30:00, breaking the Australian record by 20 seconds.

Read sent his performances back to Britain in the hope that he may gain selection for the British team. But they had already selected their three walkers for the 50km. Read then looked to gain selection for New Zealand and after confirmation with the IOC that he was eligible he was selected for his adopted country.

In Melbourne, on Saturday 24 November, he walked the race of his life in his first ever international race, leading the walkers out of the MCG. On a sweltering afternoon, he soon dropped off the hectic pace set by two Russians. But slowly he worked his way back to the front and at 42km had overtaken Yevgeniy Maskinskow and went on to receive a tumultuous reception from over 100,000 cheering spectators. Read, with a white-knotted handkerchief around his neck, waved to the crowd and with a smile a mile wide went through the tape two minutes ahead for the gold medal.

Read, Olympian number 24, said at the time that he never forgot walking into the stadium.

“The place erupted, I suppose representing New Zealand and having lived in Melbourne for the past six months they had a special affinity with me. I concentrated on the last 280 metres and walked around on a cloud. I never felt as good as I did standing on the rostrum in the number one position.” 

He was asked by reporters if he felt like a true New Zealand rep given his English background and his reply was, “I’m a Pommy Kiwi”.

Read went on to compete at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games where he finished fifth in the 20km walk but cramp prevented him from finishing the 50km event. Then in 1966 he won the bronze medal in the 20 mile road walk at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.

Read amassed 18 New Zealand race walking titles between 1956 and 1975. He continued to participate in walking events, competing in the master’s grade. He won the M50 3000m track walk and the M50 10km road walk in 1984.

He was a member of the IAAF international walking panel and judged at the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games and the 1992 Olympic Games. 

He was elected president of Athletics New Zealand for the 1993-94 year and held the position at the time of his death in 1994. On Sunday 22 May 1994, he was competing in a veterans’ circuit cycle race from Pirongia near Te Awamutu in the Waikato. He had been riding with the main bunch early in the 54km race but had dropped off the pace and riding alone he collapsed and died of a heart attack at the age of 62.

Read was a carpenter by trade and at the time of his death had his own agencies company in New Plymouth involved with investments, insurance, and health and fitness equipment. He was a great ambassador for athletics and relished his time as president. He always had a great smile and was a man of great enthusiasm and energy and was a perfectionist in everything he did. He was such a fair walker that never in his long career was he disqualified or even cautioned.

He was New Zealand Sportsman of the Year for 1956, awarded a diploma by the IAAF on its 75th jubilee in 1987 and was an inaugural inductee into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Written by Murray McKinnon