| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Born | 3 May 1953 [1] Wakefield, England |
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | high jump |
| Club | Cardiff AAC RAF |
Michael Butterfield (born 3 May 1953) is an English retired athlete who specialised in the high jump. [2] He was the first British man to clear 7 feet (1975). [3] [4]
Butterfield joined the Royal Air Force in 1970 aged just 17 and was a member of Cardiff AAC. He finished second behind Milton Palmer in the high jump event at the 1976 AAA Championships. [5] [6] [7] [8]
Butterfield, a corporal in the RAF at the time, became the first man to jump over 7ft at the Cosford Indoor Arena on 15 March 1975 [4] and became the first ever winner of the high jump at the inaugural 1977 UK Athletics Championships.
Indoors, he became national champion in 1976, with a new national record of 2.16. He also finished runner-up three times; in 1974 behind Irish James Fanning, and 1977 and 1978, both behind Mark Naylor. [9]