David Lean (athlete)

David Lean
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born22 August 1935
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Eventhurdles
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne 4x400 metre relay
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1954 Vancouver 440 yard hurdles
Silver medal – second place 1958 Cardiff 440 yard hurdles
Bronze medal – third place 1954 Vancouver 4 × 110 yards relay

David Francis Lean (born 22 August 1935 is an Australian former athlete who competed mainly in the 440-yard hurdles and competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Lean attended Launceston Grammar School, where he mainly raced over 100 yards[1] and later attended Michigan State University where he also competed in 440 and 880 yard races.[2]

Lean won the Australian national championship in 1954[3] and regularly competed in the 440 yard hurdles, winning gold at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[4] His gold medal at the 1954 Vancouver Games was only his eighth race over the distance and the first ever international victory by a Tasmanian athlete.[1]

In 1956, he represented Australia at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, participating in the 4 × 400 metre relay, where he won the silver medal with his teammates Graham Gipson, Leon Gregory and Kevan Gosper.[5]

Lean won the British AAA Championships title in the 440 yards hurdles event at the 1958 AAA Championships[6][7][8] and shortly afterwards he won a silver medal at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Welch, Bruce (5 Aug 1954) David Lean, Barbaris win gold medals; History made by Tas Athlete; The Age
  2. ^ Welch, Bruce (17 September 1958) Hurdle Star Returns Soon; The Age
  3. ^ David Lean results
  4. ^ a b "Biographical Information". Olympedia. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  5. ^ "List of Australian Olympic athletics medal winners". Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  6. ^ "Ibbotson quits... Pirie flops". Sunday Sun (Newcastle). 13 July 1958. Retrieved 2 May 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  8. ^ "AAA Championships (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
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