Donal Smith

After a brief career as a middle-distance runner Donal Smith became a professor of English literature. At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Smith finished in fifth place in the final of the 880 yards. Two years later he ran in the 800 metres at the 1960 Roma Olympics where he reached the quarter-finals.

Smith graduated from the University of Auckland where he was offered a scholarship to study at either Oxford or Cambridge in 1956. He attended Merton College, Oxford where he spent four years studying for a DPhil. Smith worked at the University of Toronto before returning home to New Zealand, becoming a professor of English at the University of Auckland in the early 1970s. He continued to teach in Auckland until his retirement in 2000.

Personal Best: 800 – 1:48.52 (1960).