Jack Parker

Who is Jack Parker?

Jack Parker is a former British international hurdler. He was educated at Shene Grammar School, London SW14 and Liverpool University. From 1951 to 1955 he won three Amateur Athletic Association Championships. He reached the semi-final of the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and was placed fourth in the final of the 1954 Vancouver Commonwealth Games. He won the silver medal at the 1954 European Championships.

During these years he won the high hurdles event in nine out of the thirteen full-scale British International matches.

His fastest time was 14.3 seconds which he achieved when winning the 120 yards hurdles at the White City in July 1955, a new English native record. It equalled Donald Finlay's 110 metres mark set in Paris in 1938.

In 1955 he was placed eighth in the Track and Field News world ranking list a performance not achieved by any other British athlete in the men's high hurdles until David Hemery in 1969.

As a Civil Engineer he was posted to Malawi in September 1955. There were no athletic facilities and despite the lack of training over a period of six months he held his place in the National team and competed in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, hitting a hurdle hard and being eliminated in the first round.