John Wenk

Middle-distance runner John Wenk was the son of a Scottish father and Spanish mother. He competed in the 800 metres at the 1960 Roma Olympics but was eliminated in the quarter-final after finishing fourth in his heat, just 0.6 seconds off qualifying.

Wenk never won a senior AAA title but was runner up to Tom Farrell in the 880 yards in 1960. In the summer of 1961 Wenk had a disagreement with British athletics officials and quit the country to tour Europe, notably Sweden, Hungary, and Greece. He returned early in 1962 and that year won the Scottish 880 title, and then represented Scotland at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Australia. Despite winning his heat, Wenk was eliminated in a semi-final won by the eventual gold medallist, [Peter Snell() of New Zealand. Also in 1962, Wenk was offered a four-year athletic scholarship at the Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Wenk´s older brother George was also a middle-distance runner and fellow Scottish international.

Personal Best: 800 – 1:48.6 (1961).