View source for Jack Lovelock

{{Short description|New Zealand athlete (1910–1949)}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Jack Lovelock
| image = Jack Lovelock 1936b.jpg
| imagesize = 
| caption = Lovelock at the 1936 Olympics
| full_name = John Edward Lovelock
| nationality = [[New Zealand]]
| sport = [[Running]]
| event  =1500 m, mile
| pb = 1500 m – 3:47.8 (1936)<br>Mile – 4:07.6 (1933)<ref name=r1/><ref name=r4/>
| club = University of Oxford AC<br>[[Achilles Club]]
| collegeteam = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1910|1|5}}
| birth_place = [[Crushington, New Zealand|Crushington]], New Zealand<ref name=r1/>
| residence =
| death_date = {{Death date|df=yes|1949|12|28}} (aged 39)
| death_place = [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.<ref name=r1/>
| height = 169&nbsp;cm<ref name=r1/>
| weight = 61&nbsp;kg<ref name=r1/>
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{NZL}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|Olympics}}
{{MedalGold|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]]|[[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres|1500 metres]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games|British Empire Games]]}}
{{MedalGold  | [[1934 British Empire Games|1934 London]] | 1 mile}}
}}

'''John Edward Lovelock''' (5 January 1910 &ndash; 28 December 1949) was a New Zealand [[Track and field athletics|athlete]] who became the world 1500m and mile record holder and [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympic]] champion in the [[1500 metres]].

==Early life==
[[File:Jack_Lovelock_passport.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|Jack Lovelock passport photo (1931)]]
Lovelock was born in the town of [[Crushington, New Zealand|Crushington]] (near [[Reefton]]) as the son of [[England|English]] immigrants.  From his early days at school he participated and excelled in fields beyond athletics. At [[Fairlie, New Zealand|Fairlie]] School (1919–23) he was [[dux]] of the primary school, represented the school in rugby, competed in swimming and athletics, and was a [[prefect]]. At [[Timaru Boys' High School]], which he attended as a boarder from 1924, he set school athletics records but was also involved in nearly every area of school life. In 1928, his final year, Lovelock was school dux, head prefect, and won the school's boxing championship cup. The following year he went to [[University of Otago]] to study medicine. Lovelock showed a talent for sports while at the university, and competed for the university team in the New Zealand {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} championships. In 1931 he became a [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholar]] at [[Exeter College, Oxford|Exeter College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] from 1931 to 1934. He graduated with an [[Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery|MB ChB]] degree as a medical practitioner.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

==Sports career==
[[File:Jack Lovelock breaking the finishing line at the Olympic Games 1936.jpg|thumb|left|Jack Lovelock breaking the finishing line at the Summer Olympic Games 1936 in Berlin]]
In 1932—by then holder of the British Empire record for the mile, at 4:12.0—Lovelock competed in the [[1932 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], and placed 7th in the final of the [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 1500 metres|1500 metres event]], won by [[Luigi Beccali]] of Italy.

The following year, he set a [[Mile run world record progression#IAAF era|world mile record]] of 4:07.6 when running at Princeton against its emerging champion [[Bill Bonthron]]. Later, in September, he represented New Zealand in the first [[World Student Games]] where he renewed his rivalry with Beccali, with Beccali winning.

Lovelock won the British [[AAA Championships]] title in the 1 mile event at the [[1934 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000640/19340714/336/0011 |title=Finals of White City events |work=Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette |date=14 July 1934 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=11 January 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003359/19340715/325/0019 |title=British athletes lose titles |work=Weekly Dispatch (London) |date=15 July 1934 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=11 January 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=11 January 2025 }}</ref> Shortly afterwards, in [[1934 British Empire Games|1934]] Lovelock won the gold medal in the mile (4:13.0) at the [[British Empire Games]]. He also lost some races, and believed that he could only make one supreme effort in a season.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

The highlight of Lovelock's career came in 1936, when he won the gold medal in the 1500 m at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|Berlin Olympics]], setting a world record in the final (3:47.8). Lovelock had plotted ever since his defeat at Los Angeles and developed a revolutionary tactic. The race is regarded as one of the finest 1500 m Olympic finals and included one of the finest fields assembled. Hopefuls for the final included a culmination of contenders from the first great era of mile running from 1932 to 1936 in which the world records for the 1500 m and mile had been broken several times. Apart from Lovelock, the potential rivals included the American mile world record holder [[Glenn Cunningham (athlete)|Glenn Cunningham]] who had broken Lovelock's world record in 1934, as well as Bonthron, Beccali, and the emerging English champion [[Sydney Wooderson]], all of whom hoped to line up to race in the Berlin Games. Bonthron, who held the world 1500m record, failed to make the US team, while Wooderson was found to have a fracture in his ankle and missed the final. The silver medalist in Los Angeles, [[John 'Jerry' Cornes]], also raced in Berlin along with the Swedish champion [[Erik Ny]], Canadian [[Phil Edwards (athlete)|Phil Edwards]], and American [[Gene Venzke]], who had been regarded as the favourite for the 1932 title until injury denied him a place in the US team. In the final, Lovelock beat Cunningham, who came in second, by making the unprecedented break from 300 m out. Lovelock had been regarded as a sprinter in the home straight but cleverly disguised his plan and caught his opponents napping with a brilliantly timed move. Cunningham, who also broke the world record in the race, was considered by many to be the greatest American miler of all time. Beccali was third.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Lovelock, who was the captain of the [[New Zealand Olympic team]], raced once more for the British Commonwealth after Berlin and his last race was back at Princeton en route to a Government-sponsored trip to New Zealand where he was beaten by another of the Olympic finalists, the American [[Archie San Romani]] (fourth in Berlin), with Cunningham third, rounding out the cast of a memorable period of middle-distance running. Lovelock maintained his interest in athletics until at least the outbreak of the Second World War as a newspaper contributor.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

==Later life==
Lovelock was a [[Major (rank)|major]] in the [[Royal Army Medical Corps]] during [[World War II]]. He married Cynthia James in 1945 and had two daughters. A year later, he began working at Manhattan Hospital in New York City. On 28 December 1949, he had telephoned his wife from work to inform her that he was coming home early because he was not feeling well.  He was waiting at the [[Church Avenue (IND Culver Line)|Church Avenue]] [[New York City Subway|subway]] station in [[Brooklyn]], New York, when he fell onto the tracks, probably as a result of one of the dizziness attacks to which he was subject after being thrown from a horse in 1940.  He was then killed by an oncoming train.<ref>*Megede, Ekkehard zur (1970) ''Die Geschichte der olympischen Leichtathletik - Band 1: 1896-1936'' Verlag Bartels & Wernitz KG</ref><ref>Matthews, Peter a.o. (1993) ''The Guinness International Who's Who of Sport'' Guinness Publishing Ltd {{ISBN|0-85112-980-3}}</ref><ref name="Wallechinsky">{{cite book|last1=Wallechinsky|first1=David|author-link1=David Wallechinsky|last2=Loucky|first2=Jaime|year=2012|title=The Complete Book of the Olympics 2012 Edition|page=104|location=[[London]]|publisher=[[Aurum Press]]|isbn=978-1-84513-695-6}}</ref>

==Posthumous commemorations==
In 1990 the [[New Zealand]] post office issued a set of stamps featuring Lovelock along with [[George Nēpia]].<ref>Stanley Gibbons stamp numbers 1559, 1560 and MS1561</ref>

For the [[1972 Munich Olympics]], Lovelock's legacy stemming from the [[1936 Berlin Olympics]] was immortalised in the naming of the Lovelockweg walkway at the [[Olympiapark (Munich)|Olympiapark]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haselsteiner |first=Felix |date=2020-02-16 |title=Ein Mythos am Ende der Welt |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/lovelockweg-ein-mythos-am-ende-der-welt-1.4800058 |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Süddeutsche.de |language=de}}</ref><mapframe latitude="48.176463" longitude="11.552368" zoom="17" width="400" height="125" align="center" />The New Zealand [[Ministry for Culture and Heritage]] refers to a "Lovelock legend", and describes him as having "captured the imagination of New Zealanders and others. Streets, playing fields and sports bars have been named after him. He has inspired books, stamps, a stage play and a film. In 2002 a statue was erected at Timaru Boys High, where much of the memorabilia related to him is stored."<ref>[https://nzhistory.govt.nz/people/jack-lovelock "Jack Lovelock"], New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage</ref>

His [[Olympic oaks|Victory Oak]] from the 1936 Olympics was planted at [[Timaru Boys' High School]] in New Zealand, and is considered a nationally protected landmark.<ref name=r1/>

The Lovelock Classic is an annual athletics meet held in Timaru, with the men's mile run as the feature event.<ref>{{cite web |first= Koren |last= Allpress |date= 4 January 2017 |title= Will the Lovelock Mile record fall? |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/88067751/will-the-lovelock-mile-record-fall |publisher=Timaru Herald (via Stuff.co.nz) |access-date= 11 January 2017}}</ref>

Lovelock Place, in the [[Hamilton, New Zealand|Hamilton]] suburb of [[Chartwell, Waikato|Chartwell]], is named in Lovelock's honour.<ref>{{cite news | title=Honouring sportspeople | date=2 November 2012 | work=Waikato Times | page=9}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" mode="packed">
File:2015-01-05-08930-Timaru.JPG|Statue at Timaru Boy's High
File:2015-01-05-08928-Timaru.JPG|Front plate on the statue
File:2015-01-05-08933-Timaru.JPG|Lovelock Oak ([[Olympic oaks|Olympic oak tree]] from [[Berlin]], 1936)
File:2015-01-05-08931-Timaru.JPG|Memorial in front of Lovelock Oak
File:Lovelock Memorial MRD.jpg|Memorial at Crushington
</gallery>

In Dunedin there is Lovelock Avenue and Lovelock Bush.  In January 2010 the Otago Daily Times wrote:

"Jack Lovelock lived in adjacent Warden St while he studied medicine in Dunedin.

Almost certainly he would have trained on both the road and the path beside the cemetery, and it was quite appropriate to rename the road and bush in his honour in 1968."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/trail-lovelock) | title=Magazine }}</ref>

In 2018, the Lovelock archival papers, featuring material related to his life and [[sports science]] held at the [[Alexander Turnbull Library]], were added to the [[Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao]] register.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unescomow.nz/inscription/jack-lovelock-papers |title=Jack Lovelock Papers |website=[[Memory of the World Register|Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao]] |access-date=2 December 2024}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==

*''The Legend of Lovelock'' by Norman Harris, A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington, New Zealand, 1964
*''Lovelock: New Zealand's Olympic gold miler'' by Christopher Tobin, Dunedin, 1984
*''Jack Lovelock - Athlete & Doctor'' by Dr Graeme Woodfield, Wellington, 2007
*''As If Running on Air: The Journals of Jack Lovelock'' edited by David Colquhoun, Wellington 2008
*''Conquerors of Time'' by Lynn McConnell, London, 2009
*''Lovelock'' by [[James McNeish]]

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=r1>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/jack-lovelock-1.html Jack Lovelock] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727085318/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/jack-lovelock-1.html |date=27 July 2012 }}. sports-reference.com</ref>
<ref name=r4>[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=4022&Gender=M Jack Lovelock]. trackfield.brinkster.net</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Jack Lovelock}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|john-lovelock|John Lovelock|org_archive=20210415182535}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{New Zealand Olympic Committee}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20070622041556/http://www.olympic.org.nz/Athletes/AthleteProfile.aspx?Print=&ContactID=885&id=3774 archive])
* {{New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame}}
* [http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/lovelock-1992 ''Lovelock'' at NZonScreen (documentary film online)]
* [http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=4L14 Extensive biography from the Dictionary of New Zealand]
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/L/LovelockJohnEdward/LovelockJohnEdward/en Biography from 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192940/http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/L/LovelockJohnEdward/LovelockJohnEdward/en |date=27 September 2007 }}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20201125141701/http://www.jacklovelock.com/ Jack Lovelock Athlete & Doctor Latest Biography]}}
* [https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/jack-lovelock-after-mile-century Jack Lovelock, photo after ''Mile of the Century'' in 1935] 
* {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120165122/http://www.craigpotton.co.nz/Products/published/Books/BookArtsCrafts/rthejournalsofjacklovelock |date=20 November 2011 |title=As If Running on Air: The Journals of Jack Lovelock }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[Bill Bonthron]]|title=[[World record progression 1500 metres|Men's 1,500m World Record Holder]]|years=6 August 1936 &ndash; 10 August 1941|after={{flagicon|SWE}} [[Gunder Hägg]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|FRA}} [[Jules Ladoumègue]]|title=[[World record progression for the mile run|Men's Mile World Record Holder]]|years=15 July 1933 &ndash; 16 June 1934|after={{flagicon|USA}} [[Glenn Cunningham (athlete)|Glenn Cunningham]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 1500 m Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 1500m Men}}
{{1932 New Zealand Olympic team}}
{{1934 New Zealand British Empire Games team}}
{{1936 New Zealand Olympic team}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovelock, Jack}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
 <!--Do not remove. Includes British Empire Games, the former name-->
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand]] <!--Do not remove. Includes British Empire Games, the former name-->
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:New Zealand men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:New Zealand men middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of English descent]]
[[Category:New Zealand Rhodes Scholars]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:People educated at Timaru Boys' High School]]
[[Category:People from Reefton]]
[[Category:Royal Army Medical Corps officers]]
[[Category:Railway accident deaths in the United States]]
[[Category:University of Otago alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand medical doctors]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]