A century of Olympians

St Catharine’s is proud to have connections with the Olympic and Paralympic Games that span a full century, starting with the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Ahead of the Games returning to Paris this summer, we wanted to celebrate the alumni who have competed in and supported the Olympic and Paralympic Movements. 

Competitors

Leopold Partridge (1920) – Hurdles

Leopold is where St Catharine’s documented links with the Olympic Games begin. He was part of the College’s 1920 Division II cup-winning athletics team. He won a football Blue (1920–21) and was capped for England in the amateur international against France in 1921. He made his mark in the 120-yard hurdles, finishing second in the 1921 Oxford vs. Cambridge match and winning the event the following year. He represented Great Britain in the same distance at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, coming third in his heat but not progressing further. At the Amateur Athletic Association Championships, he finished second in the 120-yard hurdles in 1922–23 and placed third in 1924. 

Roy Frederick John Mitchell (1932, Engineering) – Sailing

In his late forties, Roy paired up with his wife Jean to represent Great Britain in the Two Person Keelboat (Star) event at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, finishing in 24^th position in their boat Twinkle. Jean was the only woman competing in the event that year and was the last woman to represent Britain in sailing until 1984.

Sir Derek Day (1948, History) – Hockey – Bronze medallist, 1952

The first medal-winning Olympian from St Catharine’s, Derek played cricket, table tennis and hockey for the College. He was in goal when the College became Cuppers champions in hockey in 1949–50, our first cup win since 1929. He got his first call up to play in goal for the University hockey club in 1949 (for the Varsity Match) and was playing for England by 1951. After graduation, he distinguished himself on an 8-week tour of South Africa with the Great Britain & Ireland side. He was the first choice in goal for the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, where he played in all matches until the bronze medal match, when he allowed the substitute goalkeeper to make his international debut. In 2012 he carried the Olympic torch as it passed through Copthorne, West Sussex, near his home

Abdul Qayyum Khan (1950, Maths) – Hockey

Abdul came to St Catharine’s having already represented Pakistan in his country’s first Olympic Games in London in 1948, coming fourth in the men’s hockey competition. He played for the University club against Oxford in his first year at St Catharine’s when Cambridge won the 51^st Varsity match 4-0 (Derek Day was also on the University’s squad that year). Abdul was selected again by Pakistan for the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and his side matched their fourth-place finish from four years earlier. As a result, St Catharine’s can boast players on both teams in the 1952 men’s hockey bronze medal match!

John Michael Parker (1959, Agriculture) – Hurdles

Mike was a member of the St Catharine’s athletics team during its 1960 Cuppers victory and equalled British national records for both the 220y low hurdles and 120y high hurdles in 1961, the same year he was elected President of the Cambridge University Athletics Club. After graduation, he represented Great Britain in the 110m/120y hurdles at both the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He was the fastest in the world in the initial heats and progressed all the way to the semi-finals in 1964, and then finished fourth in his heat in 1968. He also represented England in the same event at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Jamaica, where he won a silver medal. He worked full time as a London-based advertising executive throughout his Olympic career, and recalled having to take unpaid leave to compete.

Wendell Mottley (1964, Economics) – 400m – Silver & bronze medallist, 1964

Wendell was the fastest man in Ivy League history when he was an undergraduate at Yale University and was selected by Trinidad and Tobago for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, where he won silver in the 400m/440y race and bronze in the 4x400m/440y relay. The Olympics were held in October 1964 (to avoid Tokyo’s midsummer heat and humidity, and September typhoon season), which coincided with the start of his first term as a Master’s student at St Catharine’s. The 2012 issue of The St Catharine’s Magazine recalls: 

“[He] wrote to the College to say that he had discovered that the date of his final event in the Tokyo Olympics was 21 October. He wondered if he might arrive late for the start of term or try to muster some money to fly to England to register in early October before flying to Tokyo for the Olympics and then return to Cambridge. The reply dated 8 September says ‘I am afraid the Council of the Senate have made it an invariable rule not to allow Terms to people who fail to keep them as a result of sporting activities.’ Later correspondence indicates he was allowed some 19 days at the start of term as long as he stayed on after the end. Sadly he was refused leave to attend the official reception for the Trinidad Olympic team because he would not be able to make up the time lost.”

On his return to Cambridge, he raced with the University Athletics Club (of which he was elected President in 1966) as well as racing on the European circuit. He went on to win two gold medals at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, again running in individual and relay races at 400m/440y. He is also well known as a politician and an economist, serving as Senator and member of the House of Representatives with the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament and the country’s Minister of Finance from 1991 to 1995.

Richard Dodds OBE (1978, Medical Sciences) – Hockey – Gold medallist, 1988 & bronze medallist, 1984

Richard honed his hockey skills while at St Catharine’s and captained the College side to its seventh successive Cuppers win in 1980. He also played for Cambridge throughout the three years he was at St Catharine’s, culminating in the captaincy in 1981. He captained the gold medal-winning Great British hockey squad at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, after first winning bronze at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. By the time he retired from international hockey, he had earned 144 caps and was soon asked to join the Hockey Association (as Vice-president) and the Great Britain Men's Olympic Hockey Committee (as Chairman). He attended the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta as Head of Delegation for the Men's Hockey team and as a member of the Executive Board of the British Olympic Association. 

Hugh Pritchard (1986, Natural Sciences) – Biathlon

The only Winter Olympian on this list, Hugh was awarded a full Blue for canoeing for Cambridge. He competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, as part of the 4x7.5km relay team in the biathlon – the first civilian ever to represent Great Britain in the biathlon at the Olympics. In his account in the 2002 edition of The St Catharine’s Magazine, he admits to being somewhat hampered by “a little bout of bronchitis” and the “windy and snowy” conditions. Team GB ended up in 19^th position at the end of the event. 

Dr Helen Casey (1992, Medical Sciences) – Rowing

Our first alumna to compete at the Olympics, Helen distinguished herself on the hockey pitch as an undergraduate (part of the College’s Division 1-winning squad in 1994) and only started rowing in her final year at St Catharine’s. She continued to row after transferring to Oxford University Medical School and was representing Great Britain in international competitions by 2000. She won bronze in the Rowing World Championships in 2002. She was then selected for Team GB in the Lightweight Double Sculls event at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, finishing ninth and eleventh respectively. 

James Livingston (1999, Natural Sciences) – Rowing

James rowed for Cambridge in the 2002 and 2003 Boat Races. He gained a great deal of attention in the latter race because his younger brother David was in the Oxford boat – the first time for over a hundred years that brothers had been pitted against each other in this event. He rowed at a number of World Championships at Senior and U23 level, and attended the 2004 Olympics in Athens as one of the spare rowers selected by Team GB. 

George Nash MBE (2008, Engineering) – Rowing – Gold medallist, 2016 & bronze medallist, 2012

George arrived at St Catharine’s having already won gold for Great Britain at U16 and U18 competitions, and soon rowed for Cambridge in the 2010 and 2011 Boat Races. In contrast to Wendell Mottley, he was granted permission to interrupt his four-year Engineering course and take the year 2011–12 off to train for the 2012 London Olympics. Team GB selected him for the Men’s Coxless Pairs event, where he won bronze – making him the first member of St Catharine’s to win a medal whilst still an undergraduate. He joined the Men’s Coxless Four in 2014 with whom he went on to win gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, matching Richard Dodds’ medal haul in hockey!

James Hunter (2021, Business Administration) – Rowing

James is a two-time World Championship silver medallist as a lightweight rower and a World Championship Bronze medallist in the Openweight Coxless Pair event. He represented New Zealand in the Lightweight Coxless Fours event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, coming fifth. While completing his MBA at St Catharine’s, he rowed for Cambridge in the 2022 Boat Race, commenting at the time:

“Being named in the Blue Boat is a huge privilege. The journey to gain your seat in this boat is rarely an easy one, but having these eight other great guys around me has made a huge difference – laughs are not in short supply. The combination of the Boat Race’s racing format and tradition makes it a truly unique event.”

Supporters

• Maramitsu Takasaki (1923, History): Secretary of the Japanese Olympic Committee
• Peter Sutherland MBE (1947, Architecture): Rowing coach, including at the 1960 Rome Olympics
• Peter Coni (1956, Archaeology & Anthropology): Amateur Rowing Association representative on the British Olympic Committee
• Sir Ian McKellen (1958, English; Honorary Fellow 1982): Performer at the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony
• Sir Harvey McGrath (1971, Geography; Fellow Commoner 2004–13; Honorary Fellow 2013): Member of the 2012 London Olympic Legacy Board of Advisors
• Gary Walters (1980, Mathematics): Badminton umpire and Match Controller at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
• Steve Perks (1981, Education): Athletics coach for Team GB at European, World and Olympic competitions
• Dame Sarah Springman CBE (1983): Member of the British Olympic Association; credited with a pivotal role in campaigning for the inclusion of triathlon in the Olympic, Commonwealth and Paralympic programmes; and torchbearer in the 2012 torch relay.
• Rosanna Machado LVO (1994, Economics): Part of the team coordinating London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Bid 
• Julian Gornall-Thode (1998, Oriental Studies): Administrator/translator at 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics
• Tamsin Humes (née Chipperfield; 1998, Natural Sciences): Commercial Manager, Retail at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• Brendan McMullan (1999, Mathematics): Paralympic Communications at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• Geoffrey Chang (2000, Classics): Performer in the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony
• Dr Natasha Rukazenkova-Cleverly (2004, Natural Sciences): Performer in the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

Members of the St Catharine’s community who are planning to be involved in the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics are welcome to get in touch with alumni.office@caths.cam.ac.uk