View source for Godfrey Rampling

{{Short description|British army officer and Olympic medalist (1909–2009)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{MedalTableTop|1934 Godfrey Rampling ENGLAND.jpg|200px|Rampling in 1934}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|Olympics}}
{{MedalGold|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]]|[[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 metres]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Los Angeles]]|[[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 metres]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games|British Empire Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1934 British Empire Games|1934 London]] | 440 yards}}
{{MedalGold| [[1934 British Empire Games|1934 London]] | 4 × 440 yards}}
{{MedalBottom}}

'''Godfrey Lionel Rampling''' (14 May 1909 – 20 June 2009) was an English athlete and army officer who competed for Great Britain in the [[1932 Summer Olympics]] and in the [[1936 Summer Olympics]]. He [[centenarian|turned 100]] on 14 May 2009 and was the oldest living British Olympian at the time of his death.

==Life and career==
Rampling was born in [[Blackheath, London]], the son of Gertrude Anne (Taylor) and Horace Johnson Rampling, a costumier.<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=102161|title=Rampling, Godfrey Lionel|orig-year=2013|year=2013|last=Holt|first=Richard}}</ref> After attending the [[Royal Military Academy, Woolwich]], he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the [[Royal Artillery]] in 1929.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33530|page=5644|date=30 August 1929}}</ref> In 1932 he was promoted to lieutenant.<ref>{{London Gazette|nolink=y|issue=33859|page=5561|date=30 August 1932}}</ref> Rampling won the British [[Amateur Athletic Association|AAA]] championships [[List of British champions in 400 metres|440 yards title]] at the [[1931 AAA Championships]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19310704/264/0013 |title=Athletics records may be smashed today |work=Daily News (London) |date=4 July 1931 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19310706/286/0014 |title=Few AAA titles go abroad |work=Daily Herald |date=6 July 1931 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 January 2025 }}</ref> and the [[1934 AAA Championships]].<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=9 January 2025 }}</ref>

At the [[1932 Summer Olympics]], Rampling was fourth in his semifinal in the [[Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres|individual 400 metre event]] and didn't reach the final, but ran the anchor leg to help the British 4 × 400 m [[Relay race|relay]] team win the silver medal, behind the United States.

At the [[1934 British Empire Games]] in London, Rampling won the {{convert|440|yd|abbr=on}}, and helped the English 4 × 440 yards relay team to capture the gold medal.

At the 1936 [[Berlin]] [[Olympic Games|Olympics]], Rampling was again fourth in the semifinals of [[Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres|400 metre competition]] and ran the second leg on the British 4 × 400 m relay team which won the gold medal.

Rampling was a [[Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant Colonel]] in the [[Royal Artillery]], attached to [[NATO]], until retiring in 1958 after 29 years' service.<ref name=BBC>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8049935.stm Oldest British Olympian turns 100]</ref>

He married Isabel Anne (née Gurteen; 1918–2001); their younger daughter [[Charlotte Rampling|Charlotte]] became a noted model and film actress. Their eldest daughter Sarah committed suicide in 1967.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wintle |first=Angela |date=2017-06-09 |title=Charlotte Rampling: 'I cannot explain it but I have never visited the cemetery where my sister is buried' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/09/charlotte-rampling-i-cannot-explain-it-but-i-have-never-visited-the-cemetery-where-my-sister-is-buried |access-date=2023-09-02 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

He was, as of October 2007, the last surviving male athletics medallist from the [[1932 Summer Olympics]] and the last male gold medallist in athletics from the [[1936 Summer Olympics]].

Rampling was Britain's oldest living Olympic Gold medallist<ref name=BBC/> and also oldest living Olympic competitor.<ref>[http://www.olympics.org.uk/news.aspx?ne=3649 British Olympic Association: Oldest British Olympian Celebrates 100th Birthday]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He celebrated his centenary with his family on 14 May 2009 at [[Bushey]] in [[Hertfordshire]].<ref name=BBC/>

Rampling died in his sleep aged 100 on 20 June 2009.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090701121451/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/5676486/Britains-oldest-Olympian-Godfrey-Rampling-dies-aged-100.html Telegraph.co.uk.: Britain's oldest Olympian Godfrey Rampling dies aged 100]</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Olympics.com|godfrey-lionel-rampling}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/jul/08/obituary-godfrey-rampling-sprinter Godfrey Rampling] – Guardian obituary
* [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/centurion-rampling-passes-baton-to-london-generation-1682220.html Article on Godfrey Rampling's forthcoming 100th birthday]
* [http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=51444.html IAAF Obituary]

{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x400 m Men|1936}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 400m Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 4x400 m Men}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rampling, Godfrey}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England]]
[[Category:English men centenarians]]
[[Category:English male sprinters]]
[[Category:British male sprinters]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:English Olympic competitors]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Athletes from the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:People from Blackheath, London]]
[[Category:Athletes from the London Borough of Lewisham]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery officers]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Lewisham]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]