View source for Keith Connor

{{Short description|British athlete (born 1957)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Keith Connor
| image       =
| caption     =
| nationality = British/Anguillian
| sport       = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
| event       = triple jump
| club        = [[Wolverhampton & Bilston AC]]<br>[[Windsor, Slough & Eton AC]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1957|09|16}}
| birth_place = South Hill, [[Anguilla]]
| death_date  =
| death_place = 
| height      =186 cm 
| weight      =78 kg
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|Athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{GBR2}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze| [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's triple jump|Triple jump]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1982 European Championships in Athletics|1982 Athens]] | [[1982 European Athletics Championships|triple jump]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }}	
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}	
{{MedalGold| [[1978 Commonwealth Games|1978 Edmonton]] | [[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games|triple jump]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1982 Commonwealth Games|1982 Brisbane]] | [[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games|triple jump]]}}
}}

'''Keith Leroy Connor''' (born 16 September 1957 in [[Anguilla]], an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom) is a male retired athlete who represented Great Britain and England. He competed in the triple jump at the [[1980 Summer Olympics]] and the [[1984 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=oly>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/68974 |title=Biographical Information |website=Olympedia |access-date=7 June 2025}}</ref>

== Biography ==
=== Athletics career ===
Connor migrated with his parents to Great Britain in 1964.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} He went on to represent Great Britain as an athlete. 

Connor finished second behind [[Aston Moore]] in the triple jump event at both the [[1976 AAA Championships]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002135/19760816/343/0011 |title=Weekend sport |work=Birmingham Daily Post |date=16 August 1976 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=7 June 2025}}</ref> and the [[1978 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=7 June 2025}}</ref> Despite being beaten by Moore at the AAAs, he gained revenge by winning the gold medal for [[England at the 1978 Commonwealth Games|England]] in the triple jump event, at the [[1978 Commonwealth Games]] in [[Edmonton]], Canada, with Moore taking the bronze.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/edmonton-1978/athletes |title=1978 Athletes |website=Team England}}</ref> 

Connor finally became the [[List of British champions in triple jump|British triple jump champion]] after winning the British [[AAA Championships]] title at the [[1979 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=7 June 2025}}</ref> The following year at the 1980 Olympics Games in [[Moscow]], he represented [[Great Britain at the 1980 Summer Olympics|Great Britain]], finishing just outside the medals in fourth place.<ref name=oly/> 

Two years later he won the triple jump gold again when he represented [[England at the 1982 Commonwealth Games|England]], at the [[1982 Commonwealth Games]] in [[Brisbane]], Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://teamengland.org/commonwealth-games-history/brisbane-1982/athletes |title=1982 Athletes |website=Team England}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/39637 |title=Athletes and results |website=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=28 September 2019 |archive-date=28 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928100955/https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/39637 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He then won the [[1982 European Athletics Championships]] gold and a bronze medal at the [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Keith Connor |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/keith-connor-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174814/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/keith-connor-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-17}}</ref>

Connor attended the [[University of Texas]] at [[El Paso]] in the USA from 1978 to 1980 and later transferred the [[Southern Methodist University]] (SMU) where he competed with distinction in the US national collegiate (NCAA). [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=3936].

=== Coaching career ===
He retired from active competition in 1984 due to injury and began an illustrious career as a coach and sports administrator. Connor was appointed head coach at the [[New South Wales Institute of Sport]] in 1990, after spending several years coaching on the American college scene following his retirement from competition. He was credited with helping Australian athletes to win medals at the [[1992 Summer Olympics|Barcelona]], [[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta]] and [[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney Olympics]] due to his work in revamping the New South Wales Institute of Sport. Following his successes at NSW Institute of Sport, Connor was given the appointed as head coach of [[Athletics Australia]] in 2001.

The Australian press has described him, admiringly, as a hard-nosed disciplinarian. [[Herb Elliott]], chairman of an Australian Sports Commission review of the sport, said: "There is a view that he has moved the sport forward. He's had to take some very tough action. As a consequence, he's rubbed a few people up the wrong way and some are against him… but he's done an excellent job." In 2006 Keith was turned down for the job of Head Coach to British Athletics Board although he was regarded by most as the best candidate. This was his second rejection by BAB the first being in 1990. Allegations of racism surrounded his rejection.

== Personal life ==
Since the expiration of his contract in 2006 Keith has been a Sport Consultant to national associations, sporting bodies, sponsors and individuals.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

==International competitions==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1978
|[[1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships|European Indoor Championships]]
|[[Milan, Italy]]
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd
|Triple jump
|[[1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships – Men's triple jump|16.53 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Edmonton, Canada]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Triple jump
|[[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games – Men's triple jump|17.21 m]] {{AthAbbr|w}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1982
|[[1982 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Athens, Greece]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Triple jump
|[[1982 European Athletics Championships – Men's triple jump|17.29 m]]
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Brisbane, Australia]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Triple jump
|[[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games – Men's triple jump|17.81 m]] {{AthAbbr|w}}
|-
|1983
|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Helsinki, Finland]]
|15th ({{AthAbbr|q}})
|Triple Jump
|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's triple jump|16.18 m]]
|-
|1984
|[[1984 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] 
|[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles, United States]]
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|Triple jump
|[[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's triple jump|16.87 m]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Marks, Kathy (2001-04-09). [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/connor-makes-big-jump-in-australia-680764.html Connor makes big jump in Australia]. ''[[The Independent]]''. Retrieved on 2010-08-25.

==External links==
* {{World Athletics|14356472}}
* {{European Athletics|14356472|old_id= c/athlete=187178-connor-keith |archive= 20200724084255 }}
* {{Olympics.com|keith-connor|oc_archive=20201017034246|org_archive=20200605125012}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{Footer Commonwealth Champions Triple Jump Men}}
{{Footer European Champions Triple Jump Men}}
{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's triple jump}}
{{Footer UK NC Triple Jump Men}}
{{Footer WBYP Triple Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connor, Keith}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English male triple jumpers]]
[[Category:British male triple jumpers]]
[[Category:Olympic male triple jumpers]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1981 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:UK Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:SMU Mustangs men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:UTEP Miners men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:English people of Anguillan descent]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]