Albert Hill

Who was Albert Hill?

Albert George Hill was a British athlete, winner of two Olympic gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics.

Born in Tooting, London, Hill started out as a long distance runner, winning the British AAA championships over 4 miles in 1910. Hill served with the Royal Flying Corps in France during World War I.

After the war, Hill returned as a middle-distance runner. Coached by Sam Mussabini, he won the 880 yd and 1 mile at the 1919 AAA championships and then equalled the British record of 4:16.8 for 1 mile. He nearly was not selected for the Olympics the following year, the selectors considering the 31-year-old Hill too old. Finally, he was allowed to take part at the Olympics, which were held in Antwerp, Belgium. He made the final in the 800m, which was a closely contested race. In the end, the 31-year-old Hill beat American Earl Eby for the gold, setting a British record of 1:53.4 on a slow track.

Two days later, Hill completed the middle distance double by winning the 1500m as well, thus completing a "double" not replicated by a British athlete until Kelly Holmes at the 2004 Olympics. Helped by his compatriot, Philip Baker, he won comfortably, with Baker in second in a time of 4 min.