Thomas Livingston-Learmonth

Had he not been a contemporary of Lord Burghley, Tom Livingston-Learmonth would undoubtedly be more highly rated. He placed second to Burghley in the 440y hurdles at three successive AAA Championships (1926-28). While still a junior, he set a British best for 220y hurdles on the slightly downhill Fenners track in 1925, but the record passed to Burghley within three weeks. After setting a British record of 54.0 for the 400m hurdles in the semi-finals at the 1928 Olympics, Burghley again deprived him of his record in the final the following day. His fine performances in Amsterdam came as no surprise, as earlier in the season, he had run 54.6 over 440y in defending his Southern Counties title. At the end of the season he joined the political service in Sudan, where he died from meningitis at the age of 25.

Personal Bests: 220yH – 25.8 (1925); 400H – 54.0 (1928).