Thames Valley Harriers

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Thames Valley Harriers
Thames Valley Harriers club crest (athletics).jpg
Founded1887
Ground Linford Christie Stadium
LocationWormwood Scrubs, West London, England
Website www.thamesvalleyharriers.com

Thames Valley Harriers (TVH) is an athletics club founded in 1887. It is based at the Linford Christie Stadium, in West London, England.

Contents

In track and field, TVH competes in the Premiership Division of the National Athletics League (NAL) as well as the Division 1 of the Southern Athletics League. The club has won all of its matches in the NAL since its inception in 2021 and is the sole winner of the Premiership trophy. The club also competes in road running and cross country at national, regional and county level.

History

The Linford Christie Stadium Stand, Linford Christie Stadium, Wormwood Scrubs - geograph.org.uk - 4543955.jpg
The Linford Christie Stadium
Linford Christie Linford Christie 2009.png
Linford Christie

Thames Valley Harriers is one of the UK's longest-established and most successful athletics clubs. It was founded in 1887 [1] [2] by seven aspiring cross-country runners who used the 'Peels' coffee house in Richmond Road, West London as a base for their training runs. Christened the Twickenham Harriers, the club flourished and to reflect its widening horizons took the name Thames Valley Harriers on 14 November 1890. [3]

TVH became a force both on the track and in endurance races. The 1908 Summer Olympics at nearby White City Stadium increased the club's profile and a first Olympian was secured in 1936 when George Traynor competed in the long jump alongside Jesse Owens.

Other standout performers included Ken Norris who finished second in the 1954 world cross country championships and Ron Hopcroft who set world records for both the 50 and 100 miles. TVH was also the club where middle-distance coach Frank Horwill first developed his methods, including the creation of the British Milers Club in 1963.

TVH was a founding member of the British Athletics League in 1969 and enjoyed great success over the next two decades, winning the title three times and finishing in the top three on a total of 14 occasions, as well as achieving multiple wins in the Southern road relays and cross country championships.

This success provided the momentum for the club to build a new clubhouse at the West London Stadium by Wormwood Scrubs, which was completed in 1979. From this platform emerged TVH's greatest ever athlete – Linford Christie - who claimed a haul of international sprint medals including 1992 Olympic 100m gold in Barcelona. The West London Stadium was renamed the Linford Christie Stadium in his honour and he still serves as the Club President.

In recognition of the club's success and TVH's record of strong contribution to its local community, England Athletics voted Thames Valley Harriers the top London Club for 2015.

2021 saw the launch of a new National Athletics League, combining the former British Athletics League (BAL) for men and UK Women's Athletics League (UKWAL) into one competition. Thames Valley Harriers won all four of the club's matches to win the title. [4]

Honours

Olympic athletes

AthleteCountryEventsOlympicsMedals
George Traynor Flag of the United Kingdom.svg long jump 1936
Alec Olney Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 5000 metres 1948
Michael Denley Flag of the United Kingdom.svg javelin throw 1952
Ken Norris Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 10000 metres 1956
David Segal [5] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 100 metres, 200 metres, 4x100 metres relay 1956, 1960 Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg
Jimmy Omagbemi Flag of Nigeria.svg 200 metres 4x100 metres relay 1960, 1964
Mike Wiggs [6] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1500 metres 1960, 1964
Alf Meakin [7] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 100 metres 1960
Dick Steane [8] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 200 metres 1964
Martin Reynolds [9] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 400 metres 4x400 metres relay 1972 Silver medal icon (S initial).svg
Steve Green Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 4x100 metres relay 1980
Rod Milne Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 4x400 metres relay 1980
Clifford Mamba Flag of Eswatini.svg 100 metres, 200 metres 1984
Linford Christie Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 100 metres, 4x100 metres relay 1988, 1992, 1996

Gold medal icon (G initial).svg Silver medal icon (S initial).svg Silver medal icon (S initial).svg

Julian Golley Flag of the United Kingdom.svg triple jump 1992
Sanusi Turay Flag of Sierra Leone.svg 100 metres, 4x100 metres relay 1992, 1996
Ambwene Simukonda Flag of Malawi.svg 400 metres 2012
Lorraine Ugen Flag of the United Kingdom.svg long jump 2016, 2020
Zoey Clark Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 4x400 metres relay 2020
Ricardo dos Santos Flag of Portugal.svg 400 metres 2020

References

  1. ↑ "Twickenham Harriers" . Sporting Life. 9 May 1888. Retrieved 7 March 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ↑ "Thames Valley Harriers History". Thames Valley Harriers. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Thames Valley (Late Twickenham) Harriers" . Sporting Life. 19 November 1890. Retrieved 7 March 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ↑ "Inaugural NAL title sealed by TVH at Eton". www.nationalathleticsleague.org.uk.
  5. ↑ David Segal at Power of 10
  6. ↑ Mike Wiggs at Power of 10
  7. ↑ Alf Meakin at Power of 10
  8. ↑ Dick Steane at Power of 10
  9. ↑ Martin Reynolds at Power of 10
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