Gerry Carr

Between 21 May 1958 and 17 July 1965, Gerry Carr set five British discus records, increasing the mark by nearly two-and-a-half metres. Four of his records came after he went to study at California, when he took part in events alongside some of the great American throwers like Al Oerter, Fortune Gordien, Jay Silvester and Rink Babka, amongst others.

Carr was educated at Wanstead Grammar School in Essex, a sports-orientated school that encouraged his discus throwing. He then did National Service in the RAF before going to Loughborough College, where he became friends again with hammer thrower Mike Ellis, who served with Carr in the RAF Fighter Command. After three years, Carr graduated from Loughborough and had to decide to either go into teaching, re-join the RAD, emigrate to Australia or try for a scholarship in the USA. He opted for the latter and was eventually accepted at UCLA, and it was here that he started meeting all the great American athletes of the day. He once beat Jay Silvester in a discus competition, only because his illustrious opponent fouled out on every throw!

At UCLA, Carr took a degree in English and also taught basic courses in the physical education department before moving to the University of Victoria, Canada, in 1967. He taught the history of the Ancient and Modern Olympic Games, and one day was asked to teach biomechanics, which he did, and he went on to become a leading teacher of the subject. Although professor Carr retired in 2001, he continued teaching the subject occasionally,

Although only 20 when competing at the 1956 Olympics, where he finished tenth, it was Carr’s only Olympics. He competed at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958 and won the bronze medal representing England. Carr had been the AAA junior shot champion in 1952 and discus champion in 1953-54. In the 1950s and 60, Britain had three world-class discus throwers, and because Mark Pharaoh and Mike Lindsay were around at the same time, Carr never won a senior AAA discus title, finishing second in 1955-57 and third in 1958.

Carr wrote several books on a variety of topics, mostly relating to sport, including “The Fundamentals of Track and Field” and “Sport Mechanics for Coaches”. After his retirement, Carr lived on Vancouver Island off Canada’s west coast, where he took up painting and learned to speak Spanish.

Personal Best: DT – 56.99 (1965).