Dave Travis

Dave Travis had an outstanding career as a junior and then senior, as he went on to become Britain’s best javelin throwers in the 1960s and 70s. He was an all-round athlete, however, credited with 10.9 for the 100 metres, over 23 feet (7.0m) for the long jump and more than 7,000 points for the decathlon. In addition, Travis was a good standard rugby wing three-quarter who played for England schoolboys against France and Wales in 1964/65 during his time at Hampton Grammar School, Middlesex. He later played for one of London’s leading club sides, Richmond.

Travis was runner-up in the AAAs junior javelin in 1963 and went on to win the AAAs senior title seven times between 1965-74, including five years in succession 1970-74. He also enjoyed five more javelin podium finishes as well as two in the decathlon. Travis won many more domestic javelin titles, including the Southern Counties six times (1965, 1968-69, 1973-75), Inter-Counties four times (1965-66. 1969-70), English Schools (1963), and Universities Athletic Union (1967).

Travis made his Great Britain international début against Poland in 1964 and in 1966 finished sixth in the British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Kingston, Jamaica. The following year he won the gold medal at the World Student Games (Summer Universiade) in Tokyo. At the 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games Travis took the gold medal and added a silver at Christchurch, New Zealand, four years later. He also went to three European Championships, with a ninth at Athens in 1969 being his best result. One of his best performances internationally was in the European Cup semi-final at Zürich when he beat the reigning Russian Olympic champion Janis Lusis with a new British record 83.44. Travis went to the 1968 and 1972 Olympics but failed to make the final in both years.

After leaving grammar school, Travis went to Loughborough College and later became a physical education teacher. He also became a javelin coach and mentored the six-time AAA champion David Ottley. In the 1990s Travis was involved with the coaching of promising young athletes in the Bristol area. He also continued with his own career in the 1980s and, after taking up a teaching post in Coventry in 1981, joined Birchfield Harriers and continued to enjoy success in both the javelin and decathlon. He left teaching in 1991 and became the Director of Sport for Bristol.

Personal Best: JT – 83.44 (1970).