Mark Pharaoh (18 July 1931 – 27 April 2020) was a track and field athlete, who competed in the discus throw at both the 1952 Helsinki OlympicsProfile at British Olympic Association and the 1956 Melbourne Olympics where he came fourth. This has been described as by far the finest single achievement in British discus history.UK ALL-TIME RANKINGS Top spot for Capes and Tancred, MEL WATMAN rates the top British shot and discus throwers of all time, according to championship and record performances He was also an international shot put and hammer thrower.
Biography Pharaoh was born 18 July 1931 and as a youth attended Manchester Grammar School where he excelled at sport and was an active member of the Gannet patrol of Troop 4 of the school's scouts. He went on to study at Manchester University.Profile at sports-reference.com
Pharaoh became the British discus throw champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1952 AAA Championships. Shortly afterwards he represented the Great Britain team at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.
Pharaoh successfully retained his title at the 1953 AAA Championships. He represented the English team at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Vancouver, Canada, finishing fifth in the shot put. He finished second in the hammer at the 1953 Summer International University Sports Week.British Medallists at the WORLD STUDENT GAMES (UNIVERSIADE)
At the 1956 Summer Olympics, he came fourth, setting a British record of 54.27 m. in the process and missing the bronze medal by just 13 cm. Pharaoh also represented Walton Athletic Club in Walton-on-Thames.Walton AC at the Commonwealth Games
Pharaoh won two more AAA titles at the 1955 AAA Championships and the 1956 AAA Championships.
National titles AAA Championships: 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956
References