John Sherwood

During his commentary of the 400 metres hurdles at the Mexico Olympics, the legendary British television commentator David Coleman was so wrapped up in David Hemery´s world record victory he only noticed Hemery and runner-up Gerhard Hennige and said: “who cares who´s third - it doesn´t matter!¨ In all his excitement, Coleman had failed to notice that the man who came third was another Briton, John Sherwood.

Educated at Drax School, Selby in West Yorkshire, and later Loughborough College, Sherwood won the AAA junior 440 yards hurdles title in 1964 and went to the Tokyo Olympics as a reserve for the 4x400 relay squad. He went on to win four senior AAA titles at 440 yards/400 metres hurdles, in 1966-67, 1969, and 1971. He also enjoyed three more podium finishes, the last being in 1972.

Sherwood went to the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Kingston, Jamaica. He qualified for the 440H final but was then hit with a bout of influenza, which forced his withdrawal from the final and also from the relay squad that went on to win silver. The following year Sherwood won silver medals in both the hurdles and 4x400 relay at the Summer Universiade in Tokyo.

After his 1968 Olympic bronze medal, Sherwood won silver at the 1969 Athina (Athens) European Championships and then won the gold medal that had eluded him when he won the hurdles at the 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. He also won bronze in the 4x400 relay. Sherwood went to his third Olympics at München in 1972, but a calf injury sustained in his hurdles heat saw him withdraw, and he also missed participation in the silver-medal winning relay team.

Sherwood married long jumper Sheila Parkin in April 1968 and a few months later the pair went to the Mexico Olympics and, not to be outdone, Sheila won a silver medal 24 hours before John won his bronze. Their son David was a tennis player who played at Wimbledon, and in the 2005 Davis Cup Group match against Israel won his doubles match playing with Andy Murray. John´s younger brother Steve was an association football goalkeeper who played for Chelsea before making his name at Watford. He kept goal for them in the 1984 FA Cup Final against Everton.

At the end of his career in athletics, Sherwood became a regular competitor in the Superstars television programme. He placed second in the 1980 World Final in the Bahamas.

After competing internationally, John and Sheila were involved in athletics coaching and helped form the Sheffield Athletics Club. By profession, John was a physical education teacher at a Sheffield school until his retirement in 2006.

Personal Bests: 400 – 46.8 (1969); 400H – 49.03 (1968).