View source for Guy Butler (athlete)

{{Short description|British sprinter (1899–1981)}}
{{for|the South African poet and writer|Guy Butler (poet)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name=
|nickname=
|image =Guy Butler 1926b.jpg
| image_size =
|caption=Guy Butler in 1926
|birth_date= 25 August 1899 
|birth_place= [[Harrow, London|Harrow]], Great Britain
| death_date = 22 February 1981 (aged 81)
| death_place = [[St Neots]], [[Huntingdonshire]], England
| height = 
| weight = 
|sport=Athletics
|event= 200 m, 400 m
|club= University of Cambridge AC<br/>[[Achilles Club]]
|pb= 200 m – 21.7 (1927)<br/>400 m – 48.0 (1924)<ref name=r1/><ref name=r4/>
|alma_mater= [[University of Cambridge]]
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Country | {{GBR2}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Antwerp]]|[[Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1920 Antwerp|[[Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres|400 metres]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris]]|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres|400 metres]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|1924 Paris|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400 m relay]]}}
}}
'''Guy Montagu Butler''' (25 August 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a British sprinter, winner of the gold medal in the 4 × 400 m [[Relay race|relay]] at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/68934 |title=Guy Butler |work=Olympedia |access-date=8 July 2021}}</ref> With four Olympic medals Guy Butler shares the British record for the number of medals in athletics with [[Sebastian Coe]],<ref name=british_olympic_association>{{cite web | title = Guy Montagu Butler | publisher = British Olympic Association| url =http://www.olympics.org.uk/athleterecord.aspx?at=698 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155650/http://www.olympics.org.uk/athleterecord.aspx?at=698 | archive-date = 30 September 2007 |url-status=dead|access-date = 4 July 2012}}</ref> [[Christine Ohuruogu]], and [[Mo Farah]].

== Biography ==
Butler was born in [[Harrow, London|Harrow]], [[Middlesex]], to [[Edward Butler (cricketer, born 1866)|Edward Montagu Butler]] and Gertrude Mary Fair. He was the grandson of academic [[Henry Montagu Butler]] and nephew of Sir [[James Ramsay Montagu Butler]] and Sir [[Nevile Butler]].<ref>{{cite ODNB |last1=Vamplew |first1=Wray |title=Butler, Guy Montagu (1899–1981), athlete |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-65162 |year=2012 |access-date=16 February 2019 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/65162}}</ref>

He attended the prestigious [[Harrow School]], the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]], and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]. His father also attended Harrow and competed in cricket and athletics at the national level. At the Antwerp Olympics in 1920, Butler won the silver medal in the individual 400 m and anchored the British 4 × 400 m relay team to a gold medal in 3:22.2. At the [[1924 Summer Olympics]], he won bronze in the 400 m and again anchored the British 4 × 400 m relay team, this time winning bronze in 3:17.4. In 1928 he became the first British track and field athlete to compete in three Olympics; he reached a 200 m quarterfinal, and retired shortly thereafter.<ref name=r1/>

Butler became the [[List of British champions in 400 metres|National 440 yards champion]] after winning the [[AAA Championships]] title at the [[1919 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000681/19190707/133/0007 |title=AAA Championships |work=Daily Herald |date=7 July 1919 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=21 November 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000728/19190707/010/0010 |title=Amateur Champions |work=Daily Record |date=7 July 1919 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=21 November 2024 }}</ref> The following year in 1920 and also in 1923, he was the highest placed British Athlete in the same event at the Championships and therefore is listed as the British champion for those years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=21 November 2024 }}</ref>

He also won the British [[AAA Championships]] in {{convert|220|yd|abbr=on}} in 1926. He also ran the {{convert|300|yd|abbr=on}} [[world record]] of 30.6 in 1926.<ref name=r1/>
In retirement, Butler was a schoolmaster, then an athletics journalist, and a pioneer of filming athletes in action. He contributed to the design of the [[White City Stadium]] and worked as the athletics correspondent for ''[[The Morning Post]]'' until it was merged with ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' in 1937.<ref name=r1/>

== References ==
{{Commons category|Guy Butler (athlete)}}
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=r1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417115438/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/bu/guy-butler-1.html Guy Butler]. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 19 June 2015.</ref>
<ref name=r4>[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=941&Gender=M Guy Butler]. trackfield.brinkster.net</ref>
}}

==External links==
* {{sports links}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x400 m Men|1920}}
{{Footer Great Britain athletics team at the 1924 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Guy}}
[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Harrow, London]]
[[Category:Athletes from the London Borough of Harrow]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from St Neots]]
[[Category:English male sprinters]]
[[Category:British male sprinters]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1920 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:English Olympic competitors]]
[[Category:People educated at Harrow School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Montagu Butler family|Guy]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]