Michael Watson (cyclist)

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Michael Watson
Personal information
Full nameMichael John Watson
Born (1938-01-14) 14 January 1938 (age 87)
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)

Michael J. Watson [1] (born 14 January 1938) is a former Hong Kong cyclist, police officer, and author. He competed in the team time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics. [2] During his sports career, Watson set several Hong Kong cycling records. He served as the team manager at the 1965 Asian Cycling Championships and the 1966 Asian Games. Beginning around 1959, Watson served as a police officer in the Hong Kong Police Force and reached the rank of Chief Superintendent. He co-authored the 1982 book The Royal Hong Kong Police (1841–1945), a history of the Hong Kong Police Force.

Contents

Sports career

Watson competed in 1960 and 1961 in the Watson's Trophy Race, a 35-mile race put on by the Hongkong Cycling Association and AS Watson in New Territories. He won the race in both years. In the second year, he represented Hongkong Paragon Racing Club and had a time of 1 hour, 42 minutes, and 22 seconds. [3] On behalf of the Hongkong Police Sports Association, Watson took part in the Carlsberg Trophy, a 28-mile race put on by the Hongkong Cycling Association and the East Asiatic Company. He tied with Chow Kwong Choi for first place with a time of 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 10 seconds. [4] Watson won a 60-mile competition in 1961 put on by the Hongkong Cycling Association to prepare cyclists for the inaugural Tour of Hongkong. The race consisted of two 30-mile segments. Despite being more than 10 seconds behind at the first segment's conclusion, Watson finished in first place with a time of 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 45 seconds, having completed the race with a lead of more than 10 minutes over the next-place finisher. [5] At the end of 1961, he set a Hong Kong record in the 25-mile time trial. [6] Watson competed in 1961 and 1962 at the Colony Hill Climb championship at Clear Water Bay Road run by the Hongkong Cycling Association and placed first both years. In the second year, he represented Hongkong Paragon and had a time of 6 minutes and 53.7 seconds. [7] Watson took part in the Tour of Luzon, a 12-day competition, in 1962 and withdrew from the race after crashing on the second day. [7]

Watson broke the event record in the Colony 50-Mile Cycling Championship held by the Hongkong Cycling Association in 1964 with a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 19 seconds. [8] The Hongkong Cycling Association Selection Committee chose Watson to be the team manager for the association at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He led fellow Olympians Chow Kwong Man, Chow Kwong Choi, and Mok Sau Hei. [9] He also served as the team's reserve and mechanic. According to Carl Myatt of the South China Morning Post , Watson likely would have been the top pick to compete in the Olympic cycling events. However, Watson came down with fibrositis in the lower back so had to reduce intensity at a crucial point in his Olympic training. Myatt, the sports journalist, said that at various times, Watson had been the recordholder for almost every Hong Kong cycling title. [10] During the team time trial at the Olympics, he placed 30th. [2]

Watson took part in the Hilly Time Trial for the Hercules Trophy Race in November 1964. He set the Hong Kong individual record with a time of 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 45.4 seconds. With his teammates Richard Wang and Victor Chu, he broke the Hong Kong team record for the more-than-25-mile race. [11] Watson received first place at the Carlsberg Trophy Race in 1964 with a time of 1 hour, 55 minutes, and 31 seconds. [12] That year, Watson competed on behalf of Kowloon Cycling Club (KCC) at a 19-mile competition at the Guia Circuit in Macau. He finished in first place with a time of 52 minutes and 34.5 seconds, defeating fellow Olympian Chow Kwong Choi who was slower by a fraction of a second. [13] Watson represented KCC at the 25-mile Colony Championship put on by the Hongkong Cycling Association in 1965. He finished in first place with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 37 seconds. [1] During the roughly 30-mile Tour de Macao held in Macau, Watson sustained slight injuries and was taken to the hospital after crashing into downed cyclists. Two cyclists in front of him had crashed into each other after veering to avoid a dog who was walking across the street. [14]

At the end of 1965, he was voted in as member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Cycling Federation. [15] Watson was the Hong Kong team manager at the 1965 Asian Cycling Championships, leading five athletes. [16] Watson was chosen as the Hong Kong Amateur Cycling Association's team manager at the 1966 Asian Games, leading the cyclists Francis Ng and Richard Wang. [17] [18] According to a 1967 report, Watson had not been regularly involved in cycling after the 1964 Summer Olympics. In 1967, he competed in a 40-mile race as a representative of the club Sandoz Olympia and placed first with a time of 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 55 seconds. He finished nearly four minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. His club swept the top three positions, allowing them to win the team title. [19] Watson competed in the Colony Hill Climb Championship in 1968. Taking 4 minutes and 15.0 seconds, he won first place. [20] In 1972, he was voted in as the first vice chairman of the Hongkong Amateur Athletic Association. [21]

Police career and personal life

Watson was born in Yorkshire and lived in Leeds. [10] [22] He visited Hong Kong for the first time in 1959 and around that year joined the Hong Kong Police Force. [22] [23] He was a police inspector for the force in 1965. [19] He was the Sham Shui Po Division Superintendent in 1981 and as Chief Superintendent became the leader of Yuen Long District in 1983. [24] [25] With Colin Crisswell, he co-authored the 1982 book The Royal Hong Kong Police (1841–1945), a history of the Hong Kong Police Force. [26] [27] He initiated the book project in 1978, relying on primary sources from the Public Records Office and the Police Force Museum and interviews with former police officers. [28] The South China Morning Post 's Leonard Rayner said the book was "strong on fact but not so strong on writing" and called it "one of the most important, so far as Hongkong is concerned" books released in 1982. [26] Holding the title Chief Superintendent, Watson was the leader of the police's planning and development division in 1986. [29] He was a Chief Superintendent in 1993 and was married to Liz. [23]

Works

References

  1. 1 2 "Cycling: Mike Watson Wins Second Colony Title". South China Morning Post . 12 January 1965. p. 2. ProQuest   1507135458.
  2. 1 2 "Michael Watson Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Cycling: Watson Trophy for Mike Watson". South China Morning Post . 22 December 1961. p. 3. ProQuest   1533335008.
  4. ↑ "Cycling: Two Riders Dead-Heat in Thrilling Finish". South China Morning Post . 18 October 1961. p. 3. ProQuest   1533297215.
  5. ↑ "Cycling: Mike Watson Wins Two-Stage Race". South China Morning Post . 21 November 1961. p. 3. ProQuest   1533306800.
  6. ↑ "Cycling: Watson Sets New Colony Record". South China Morning Post . 5 December 1961. p. 3. ProQuest   1533326575.
  7. 1 2 "Cycling: Watson Wins Event For Second Year". South China Morning Post . 17 April 1962. p. 2. ProQuest   1533364036.
  8. ↑ "Hongkong Cycling Association". South China Morning Post . 1 April 1964. p. 2. ProQuest   1506975079.
  9. ↑ "Cycling: Watson To Lead H.K. Team To Tokyo". South China Morning Post . 9 September 1964. p. 3. ProQuest   1507057422.
  10. 1 2 Myatt, Carl (13 September 1964). "Tokyo entry crowns series of astonishing achievements by ... Hongkong's pedal pushers. From infamy to manhood in four short years". South China Morning Post . p. 30. ProQuest   1507376827.
  11. ↑ "Cycling New H.K. Records Set". South China Morning Post . 19 November 1964. p. 3. ProQuest   1507109360.
  12. ↑ "Cycling: Watson Wins Massed Start Race". South China Morning Post . 24 November 1964. p. 3. ProQuest   1507111446.
  13. ↑ "Cycling: Watson Wins Macao Race: Macao, Dec. 27". South China Morning Post . Agence France-Presse. 28 December 1964. p. 4. ProQuest   1507133144.
  14. ↑ "Cycling: Watson Injured During Tour de Macao Race: Macao, May 3". South China Morning Post . 4 May 1965. p. 3. ProQuest   1507205251.
  15. ↑ "Cycling: H. K. 's Watson On Asian Executive Committee: Manila, Dec. 3". South China Morning Post . 4 December 1965. p. 2. ProQuest   1507416710.
  16. ↑ "Cycling Colony's Changes in Manila 'Bleak'". South China Morning Post . 20 November 1965. p. 3. ProQuest   1553863681.
  17. ↑ "Cycling: Ng And Wang To Go To Bangkok: South China Rider Sweeps 'Trials'". South China Morning Post . 18 October 1966. p. 2. ProQuest   1507863607.
  18. ↑ "Cycling: Great Pursuit Debut By Ng. Bangkok, Dec. 16". South China Morning Post . 17 December 1966. p. 2. ProQuest   1507973671.
  19. 1 2 "Watson Returns To Form". South China Morning Post . 13 November 1967. p. 2. ProQuest   1508099939.
  20. ↑ "Cycling: Watson salvages lost prestige". South China Morning Post . 29 April 1968. p. 2. ProQuest   1508232007.
  21. ↑ "New AAA post for Lowcock". South China Morning Post . 2 July 1976. p. 16. ProQuest   1528919217.
  22. 1 2 Browne, Andy (15 October 1982). "Our police force ... warts and all". South China Morning Post . p. 22. ProQuest   1537856735.
  23. 1 2 Hughes, Owen (14 March 1993). "The Slow Boat to Blighty: The cruise ship Canberra is steaming towards Britain carrying, among others, expatriate civil servants whose Hongkong tour of duty is at an end". South China Morning Post . p. 41. ProQuest   1753808149.
  24. ↑ "How you can beat crime". South China Morning Post . 9 November 1981. p. 12. ProQuest   1553811882.
  25. ↑ "Police revamp in last phase". South China Morning Post . 30 March 1983. p. 19. ProQuest   1536520224.
  26. 1 2 Rayner, Leonard (5 January 1983). "Police—warts and all: Wednesday Bookshelf. The Royal Hong Kong Police (1841–1945) by Colin Crisswell and Mike Watson (MacMillan)". South China Morning Post . p. 18. ProQuest   1537920290.
  27. ↑ "In the name of the law". South China Morning Post . 29 May 1982. p. 12. ProQuest   1536447195.
  28. ↑ "Now Mike's brought the force to book: Monday Focus". South China Morning Post . 3 August 1982. p. 15. ProQuest   1536475734.
  29. ↑ Cheung, Walter (2 October 1986). "Four more top police positions in Kowloon". South China Morning Post . p. 4. ProQuest   1538170170.
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