List of British champions in 400 metres

Last updated

The British 400 metres athletics champions covers four competitions; the current British Athletics Championships which was founded in 2007, [1] the preceding AAA Championships (1880-2006), the Amateur Athletic Club Championships (1866-1879) and finally the UK Athletics Championships which existed from 1977 until 1997 and ran concurrently with the AAA Championships. [2]

The AAA Championships were open to international athletes but were not considered the National Champion in this list if they won the relevant Championship. Between 1977 and 1994, and again in 1997, two events effectively crowned national champions each year. The official UK Athletics Championships (not to be confused with the current championships, a rebranded British Athletics Championships) were specifically only open to British nationals and were organised by the national governing body. The AAA Championships continued, and due to their history, continued to be considered by both statisticians and athletes to be the more prestigious championships, with the exception of 1997 where the UK Championships were considered the principle championships for the only time. Winners at the UK Championships were nonetheless considered as having won a national title.

The UK Athletics Championships ceased to exist upon the insolvency of the governing body, the British Athletics Federation. The AAA championships continued until 2006, before they were replaced by the new British Athletics Championships. David Jenkins, with nine AAA titles, including eight successive titles between 1971 and 1978 and again in 1982, and a single UK Athletics Championships gold medal in 1980, is the most successful 400 metre athlete in British domestic history. Linda Keough won eight national women's titles, five AAA and three UK championships; on three occasions she won both titles in the same year, while Joslyn Hoyte-Smith won seven titles in the two championships era, again winning both titles in three separate years; but Valerie Ball's six successive AAA wins in the immediate post-war era where only one championship was available annually means she is normally considered the most successful domestic British female athlete in the event, crowned national champion in six separate years.

Past winners

AAC Championships
440 yards, mens event only
YearMen's champion
1866 John Ridley
1867 John Ridley (2)
1868 Edward Colbeck
1869 Edward Colbeck (2)
1870 Abbott Upcher
1871 Abbott Upcher (2)
1872 Robert Philpot
1873 Abbott Upcher (3)
1874 George Templer
1875 Frederick Elborough
1876 Frederick Elborough (2)
1877 Frederick Elborough (3)
1878 John Shearman
1879 Edgar Storey / Henry Ball
AAA Championships
440 yards, men's event only
YearMen's champion
1880 Montague Shearman
1881 William Phillips
1882 Henry Ball (2)
1883 James Cowie
1884 James Cowie (2)
1885 James Cowie (2)
1886 Charles Wood
1887 Charles Wood (2)
1888 Henry Tindall
1889 Henry Tindall (2)
1890 Thomas Nicholas
1891 J.P. Shuter
1892 David Basan
1893 Edgar Bredin
1894 Edgar Bredin (2)
1895 William Fitzherbert
1896 William Fitzherbert (2)
1897 Samuel Elliott
1898 William Fitzherbert (3)
1899 Reginald Wadsley
1900 William Welsh
1901 Reginald Wadsley (2)
1902 George White
1903 Charles McLachlan
1904 Robert Watson
1905 Wyndham Halswelle
1906 Wyndham Halswelle (2)
1907 Edwin Montague
1908 Wyndham Halswelle (3)
1909 Alan Patterson
1910 Lionel Reed
1911 William Tettenhall
1912 Cyril Seedhouse
1913 George Nicol
1914 Cyril Seedhouse (2)
1919 Guy Butler
1920 Guy Butler (2)
1921 Robert Lindsay
AAA Championships & WAAA Championships
YearMen's championYearWomen's champion
440 yards
1922 Harry Edward 1922 Mary Lines
1923 Guy Butler (3) 1923 Mary Lines (2)
1924 Eric Liddell 1924 Vera Palmer
1925 Henry Stallard 1925 Vera Palmer (2)
1926 John Rinkel 1926 Vera Palmer (3)
1927 Douglas Lowe 1927 Dorothy Proctor
1928 Douglas Lowe (2) 1928 Florence Haynes
1929 John Hanlon 1929 Marion King
1930 Kenneth Brangwin 1930 Elsie Wright
1931 Godfrey Rampling 1931 Nellie Halstead
1932 Crew Stoneley 1932 Nellie Halstead (2)
1933 Freddie Wolff 1933 Nellie Halstead (3)
1934 Godfrey Rampling (2) 1934 Violet Branch
1935 Bill Roberts 1935 Olive Hall
1936 Godfrey Brown 1936 Olive Hall (2)
1937 Bill Roberts (2) 1937 Nellie Halstead (4)
1938 Godfrey Brown (2) 1938 Olive Hall (3)
1939 Alan Pennington 1939 Olive Hall (4)
1945nc 1945 Winifred Jordan
1946 Bill Roberts (3) 1946 Margaret Walker
1947 John Mark 1947 Joan Upton
1948 Bill Roberts (4) 1948 Valerie Ball
1949 Derek Pugh 1949 Valerie Ball (2)
1950 Leslie Lewis 1950 Valerie Ball (3)
1951 Derek Pugh (2) 1951 Valerie Ball (4)
1952 Leslie Lewis (2) 1952 Valerie Ball (4)
1953 Peter Fryer 1953 Valerie Ball (6)
1954 Peter Fryer (2) 1954 Gloria Goldsborough
1955 Peter Fryer (3) 1955 Janet Ruff
1956 Mike Wheeler 1956 Janet Ruff (2)
1957 Peter Higgins 1957 Janet Ruff (3)
1958 John Salisbury 1958 Shirley Pirie
1959 John Wrighton 1959 Margaret Pickerill
1960 Robbie Brightwell 1960 Pam Piercy
1961 Adrian Metcalfe 1961 Maeve Kyle
1962 Robbie Brightwell (2) 1962 Jean Sorrell
1963 Adrian Metcalfe (2) 1963 Joy Grieveson
1964 Robbie Brightwell (3) 1964 Ann Packer
1965 John Adey 1965 Joy Grieveson (2)
1966 Tim Graham 1966 Joy Grieveson (3)
1967 Tim Graham (2) 1967 Lillian Board
1968 Martin Winbolt-Lewis 1968 Janet Simpson
400 metres - metrification
1969 Gwynne Griffiths 1969 Jenny Pawsey
1970 Martin Bilham 1970 Marilyn Neufville
1971 David Jenkins 1971 Jannette Roscoe
1972 David Jenkins (2) 1972 Verona Bernard
1973 David Jenkins (3) 1973 Jannette Roscoe (2)
1974 David Jenkins (4) 1974 Donna Murray
1975 David Jenkins (5) 1975 Donna Murray (2)
1976 David Jenkins (6) 1976 Verona Elder (née Bernard) (2)
AAA Championships/WAAA Championships & UK Athletics Championships

dual championships era 1977-1987

YearAAA MenYearWAAA WomenYearUK MenUK Women
1977 David Jenkins (7) 1977 Verona Elder (3) 1977 Walcott Taylor Donna Hartley (née Murray)
1978 David Jenkins (8) 1978 Josyln Hoyte 1978 Richard Ashton Jane Colebrook
1979 Sebastian Coe 1979 Joslyn Hoyte-Smith (2) 1979 Steve Scutt Joslyn Hoyte-Smith
1980 Rod Milne 1980 Michelle Probert 1980 David Jenkins Linsey MacDonald
1981 Garry Cook 1981 Joslyn Hoyte-Smith (3) 1981 Steve Scutt (2) Joslyn Hoyte-Smith (2)
1982 David Jenkins (9) 1982 Michelle Scutt 1982 Phil Brown Michelle Scutt
1983 Ainsley Bennett 1983 Joslyn Hoyte-Smith (4) 1983 Alan Slack Joslyn Hoyte-Smith (3)
1984 Alan Slack 1984 Tracy Lawton 1984 Kriss Akabusi Jane Parry
1985 Derek Redmond 1985 Linda Keough 1985 Phil Brown (2) Linda Keough
1986 Roger Black 1986 Kathy Cook 1986 Phil Brown (3) Angela Piggford
1987 Derek Redmond (2) 1987 Linda Keough (2) 1987 Steve Heard Carol Finlay
AAA Championships & UK Athletics Championships

dual championships era 1988-1997

YearMen AAAWomen AAAYearMen UKWomen UK
1988 Kriss Akabusi Linda Keough (3) 1988 Brian Whittle Linda Keough (2)
1989 Phil Brown Linda Keough (4) 1989 Paul Sanders Linda Keough (3)
1990 Lewis Samuel Linda Keough (5) 1990 Roger Black Diane Edwards
1991 Derek Redmond (3) Lorraine Hanson 1991 Paul Sanders (2) Sandra Leigh
1992 Derek Redmond (4) Phylis Smith 1992 Roger Black (2) Sandra Douglas (née Leigh) (2)
1993 Ade Mafe Phylis Smith (2) 1993 Du'aine Ladejo Phylis Smith
1994 Roger Black (2) Melanie Neef n/a
1995 Mark Richardson Melanie Neef (2)n/a
1996 Roger Black (3) Phylis Smith (3)n/a
1997 Kent Ulyatt Lorraine Hanson 1997 Iwan Thomas Donna Fraser
AAA Championships
second era 1998-2006
YearMen's championWomen's champion
1998 Iwan Thomas Allison Curbishley
1999 Jamie Baulch Katharine Merry
2000 Mark Richardson (2) Donna Fraser
2001 Mark Richardson (3) Lesley Owusu
2002 Tim Benjamin Lee McConnell
2003 Daniel Caines Helen Karagounis
2004 Tim Benjamin (2) Christine Ohuruogu
2005 Tim Benjamin (3) Donna Fraser (2)
2006 Tim Benjamin (4) Nicola Sanders
British Athletics Championships

2007 to present

YearMen's championWomen's champion
2007 Andrew Steele Nicola Sanders (2)
2008 Martyn Rooney Lee McConnell (2)
2009 Robert Tobin Christine Ohuruogu (2)
2010 Martyn Rooney (2) Lee McConnell (3)
2011 Martyn Rooney (3) Perri Shakes-Drayton
2012 Martyn Rooney (4) Christine Ohuruogu (3)
2013 Nigel Levine Christine Ohuruogu (4)
2014 Martyn Rooney (5) Kelly Massey
2015 Rabah Yousif Anyika Onuora
2016 Matthew Hudson-Smith Emily Diamond
2017 Matthew Hudson-Smith (2) Zoey Clark
2018 Matthew Hudson-Smith (3) Anyika Onuora (2)
2019 Matthew Hudson-Smith (4) Laviai Nielsen
2020 Alex Knibbs Laviai Nielsen (2)
2021 Niclas Baker Jodie Williams
2022 Matthew Hudson-Smith (5) Victoria Ohuruogu
2023 Alex Haydock-Wilson Victoria Ohuruogu (2)
2024 Charlie Dobson Amber Anning
2025 Charlie Dobson (2) Amber Anning (2)

nc = not contested

References

  1. "WAAA and National Championships Medallists". NUTS.
  2. "WAAA and National Championships Medallists". GBR Athletics.