Jackie Gibson

Henry Alfred “Jackie” Gibson was a South African long-distance runner who competed in the marathon. Gibson was the national champion in the race in 1935 and finished as the runner-up the following year. His performances earned him a place at the 1936 Berlin Olympics where he finished eighth. At the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, Australia, he won bronze in the marathon, along with finishing sixth in the six miles race. In 1939 he once again became the South African marathon champion, along with finishing second in 1940. Gibson served in the South African Air Force in the role of an observer-navigator. In January 1944 he and the rest of the crew were killed in military reconnaissance operation that crashed into a hilltop during bad weather. He was 29-years-old. In 1946 the Johannesburg Harriers running club founded the Jackie Gibson Memorial Marathon in his honour.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-30:54 (1937).