Godfrey Rampling


Godfrey Lionel Rampling was an English athlete and army officer who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He 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 and Horace Johnson Rampling, a costumier. Rampling won the British AAA championships in the in 1931 and 1934.
At the 1932 Summer Olympics, Rampling was fourth in his semifinal in the individual 400 metre event and didn't reach the final, but ran the anchor leg to help the British 4 × 400 m relay team win the silver medal, behind the United States.
At the 1934 British Empire Games in London, Rampling won the, and helped the English 4×440 yards relay team to capture the gold medal.
At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Rampling was again fourth in the semifinals of 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 in the Royal Artillery, attached to NATO, until retiring in 1958 after 29 years service.
He married Isabel Anne ; their daughter Charlotte became a noted model and film actress. 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 and also oldest living Olympic competitor. He celebrated his centenary with his family on 14 May 2009 at Bushey in Hertfordshire.
Rampling died in his sleep aged 100 on 20 June 2009.