Black History Month: 100 years of British Olympic excellence

ByEurosport

Updated 31/10/2020 at 08:43 GMT

Every day in October, we are marking Black History Month by celebrating the contribution made by a different black athlete to this country's rich history at the Olympic Games. In this collaboration with Team GB, we recognise a remarkable group of athletes, spanning 100 years of British sporting history.

Mo Farah (GBR) of Britain celebrates winning the gold

Image credit: Reuters

Black History Month was founded in the UK over 30 years ago and its central ethos is to celebrate the contributions made by black communities and individuals to this country.

So each day across October, in conjunction with Team GB, we are celebrating a different athlete's achievements at the Olympic Games - via a Twitter thread on @eurosport_uk and also right here on eurosport.co.uk.

British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Anson said: "We take great pride in the rich history of successful black athletes who have represented Team GB, dating back to Harry Edward who became Great Britain’s first black Olympic medallist in 1920.

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"The campaign we are running in partnership with Eurosport throughout Black History Month celebrates 100 years of black athletes being an integral and important part of our team through to the present day where we look forward to seeing athletes create their own history at the upcoming Tokyo and Beijing Olympic Games.”

Come back each day in October as we pay tribute to a different athlete who helped make GB's Olympic history what it is today.

October 31: Sir Mo Farah

This month ends with one of the greatest British athletes ever. Mo Farah is a double-double gold medal winner with four golds across London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Black History Month: Sir Mo Farah - The Dreamer

October 30: Colin Jackson

Colin Jackson held the 110m hurdles record for 12 years and still holds the 60m record to this day. Jackson was a double-gold winner at the World Championships and also took silver at the 1988 Olympic Games.

Black History Month: Colin Jackson - Hurdles Legend

October 29: Derek Redmond

Derek Redmond became an icon at the 1992 Olympics when, with the help of his father, he completed his 400m semi-final despite tearing his hamstring.

Black History Month: Derek Redmond – The inspiration

October 28: Tessa Sanderson

Tessa Sanderson was the first black British woman to win an Olympic gold medal. The Javelin great competed in an astonishing six Olympic Games.

Black History Month: Tessa Sanderson - Javelin Giant

October 27: Kriss Akabusi

Sprint sensation Akabusi won individual bronze in 400m hurdles and relay bronze in the 4x400m relay at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, eight years after his silver relay medal in Los Angeles.

Black History Month: Kriss Akabusi, one-lap legend

October 26: Elvis Gordon

Judoka Elvis Gordon competed at three consecutive Olympics - Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 - and won silver at the World Championships in 1987.

Black History Month: Elvis Gordon - Three-time Olympic judoka

October 25: Becky Downie

Becky Downie, a two-time European and two-time Commonwealth champion, was part of the history-making team that won GB's first world medal in gymnastics.

Black History Month: Becky Downie – Gymnastics star

October 24: Daley Thompson

Daley Thompson won Olympic gold twice - in 1980 & 1984 - and was also a world, European and Commonwealth decathlon champion.

Black History Month: Daley Thompson – Olympic great

October 23: Louis Smith

The first British Olympic medallist in gymnastics in over 80 years, Louis Smith won medals in three successive Games.

Black History Month: Louis Smith - Gymnastics history maker

October 22: McDonald Bailey

McDonald Bailey won 100m bronze for Great Britain at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

Black History Month: McDonald Bailey - British world record holder

October 21: Louis Martin

Louis Martin won Olympic medals in weightlifting at Rome 1960 and Tokyo 1964, claimed four world titles and set two official world records.

Black History Month: Louis Martin, weightlifting sensation

October 20: Joshua Buatsi

Joshua Buatsi took bronze as a light-heavyweight at the 2016 Rio Olympics and remains unbeaten since turning professional.

Black History Month: Joshua Buatsi - Olympic and European bronze medallist

October 19: Jessica Ennis-Hill

Jessica Ennis-Hill is a world, European and Olympic champion, who crowning glory came at the London 2012 Games.

Black History Month: Jessica Ennis-Hill – Olympic legend

October 18: Anita Neil

Anita Neil is a three-time European Championship bronze medallist and a pioneer of British sprinting.

Black History Month: Anita Neil – A Sprinting Legacy

October 17: Andrea Lynch

Andrea Lynch competed at two Olympic games and is a former British 100m record-holder.

Black History Month: Andrea Lynch - GB Speedster

October 16: Joe Joyce

Joye Joyce won super-heavyweight silver at Rio 2016, losing out in the final on a split decision, and remains unbeaten since turning professional.

Black History Month: Joe Joyce, silver star

October 15: Dina Asher-Smith

Britain's speed queen Dina Asher-Smith has already won 13 major championship medals, including three at the most recent World Championships.

Black History Month: Dina Asher-Smith - Future Olympic Queen?

October 14: Jack London

The legendary Jack London made history by winning two medals at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam - silver in the 100m and bronze in the 4x100m relay.

Black History Month: Jack London - The Legacy

October 13: Linford Christie

Linford Christie is sprint royalty. His crowning glory was Olympic gold in 1992.

Black History Month: Linford Christie - Sprint Royalty

October 12: Christine Ohuruogu

Christine Ohuruogu is an Olympic immortal, who competed at four Olympics, winning four medals, most notably gold in Beijing in 2008.

Black History Month: Christine Ohuruogu, Olympic Immortal

October 11: Nicola Adams

Nicola Adams became the first woman to win a boxing gold medal at an Olympics during London 2012, then followed it up by successfully defending her flyweight title in Rio.

Black History Month: Nicola Adams, the first champion

October 10: Dan Norton

Dan Norton was a key part of the GB sevens team that won silver at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, scoring his nation's first-ever try in the inaugural tournament.

Black History Month: Dan Norton, GB sevens history maker

October 9: Dame Kelly Holmes

Dame Kelly Holmes won double Olympic gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, winning the 800m and 1500m. Holmes later won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award that same year.

Black History Month: Dame Kelly Holmes, double champion

October 8: Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua won GB’s 29th and final gold medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 12. He has gone on to become a two-time unified heavyweight champion.

Black History Month: Anthony Joshua, the champion

October 7: Ellie Downie

Ellie Downie was the first British gymnast to win a major All-Around title – at the 2017 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Romania.

Black History Month: Ellie Downie, first all-around champion

October 6: Lutalo Muhammad

Lutalo Muhammad is the most successful male in British taekwondo history and is the current Olympic silver medallist.

Black History Month: Lutalo Muhammad - Taekwondo's Best

October 5: Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson made her Olympic debut aged just 19. She has since picked up the heptathlon mantle from Denise Lewis and Jessica Ennis-Hill and has won both Commonwealth and World gold in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Black History Month: Katarina Johnson-Thompson, The Rise

October 4: Audley Harrison

Audley Harrison was the first ever British boxer to triumph in the super-heavyweight division when claiming gold, and the hearts of a nation, at the 2000 Games in Sydney. He would go on to be European heavyweight champion, and had a shot at the world title when losing to David Haye in 2010, during a mixed professional career. But his Olympic exploits will never be forgotten.

Black History Month: Audley Harrison the trailblazer

October 3: Denise Lewis

Denise Lewis was the first European to win the Olympic heptathlon when she won gold at Sydney in 2000 after winning bronze in 1996. Also a European champion in 1998.

Black History Month: Denise Lewis, Heptathlon legend

October 2: Harry Edward

A bronze medallist in the 200m in the Antwerp Games of 1920, Harry Edward was Britain's first ever black Olympian. For more on his remarkable story, read here.

October 1: Darren Campbell

A silver medallist in the 200m at the 2000 Sydney Games, Darren Campbell went one better in 2004 in Athens when he helped GB win a famous gold in the 4x100m relay along with Jason Gardener, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis.