Bevil Rudd

Who was Bevil Rudd?

Bevil Gordon D'Urban Rudd was a South African athlete, the 1920 Olympic Champion in the 400 m.

Rudd was born in Kimberley. He was the son of Henry Percy Rudd and Mable Mina Blyth; paternal grandson of Charles Rudd, who co-founded the De Beers diamond mining company, and Frances Chiappini; and maternal grandson of Captain Matthew Smith Blyth CMG, chief magistrate of the Transkei, and Elizabeth Cornelia Philpott.

During his schooling at St Andrew's College in Grahamstown, he excelled both as a student and as an athlete, and he was granted a scholarship for Oxford University. Rudd served in the First World War, and was awarded a Military Cross for bravery.

As for his athletic career, 1920 was his most successful year. At the 1920 Olympics, held in Antwerp, Rudd won three medals, one of each color. In the 400 m, he won the gold medal, in a clear victory over Britain's Guy Butler. He added a silver medal in the 4 x 400 m relay with the South African team, and finished third in the 800 m. In addition to his Olympic successes, Rudd became the British champion over 440 yd and 880 yd, and was named best athlete of the year in Great Britain. In 1921, he broke the 440 yd World Record.