The Barts Olympians

The Athens Olympics begin in a few weeks and excitement is building. In 1924, 1948 and 1952, the excitement at Barts would have been even more intense as medical students, in the midst of their training at the hospital, competed and won medals in the Olympics. Marion Rea, Barts Archivist, retraces the steps of the Barts Olympians.

Flying doctor: Arthur Wint, who flew with the RAF, then went on to win Jamaica's first gold medal and became Jamaica's High Comissioner in London.

The first Barts Olympian was an 800-metre and 1500-metre runner, Hyla Stallard. Stallard arrived at Barts as a medical student in 1922, already famous for his speed. In 1924, he joined the Olympic team as it headed for Paris, describing himself as one of a group of ‘seventy undisciplined youths’ and noting that he knew of ‘no worse ordeal’ than waiting for the ‘final agony’ of his races. He certainly ran in plenty, competing in five races over five days, and finishing fourth in the 800 metres final (beating the then British record) and third in the 1,500 metres.

Other members of the British team included Eric Liddle and Harold Abrahams, and the story of the team’s triumphs found fame in the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire. Coincidentally, Harold Abrahams’ brother, Adolphe Abrahams, (another former Barts student) was the Olympic Team’s Medical Officer.

Stallard returned to Barts after the Olympics and, apart from a brief period during the Second World War, he remained here until his retirement in 1966. He specialised in ophthalmology, became recognised as the most gifted technical eye surgeon of his time, and made enormous contributions to the development of the treatment of retinoblastoma. A letter from a former patient described his surgery as ‘more than a miracle’.

The second Barts medical student to compete in the Olympics was Jamaican-born Arthur Wint, who, prior to medical training, flew in the RAF (including service during the Second World War). He too was a runner, and competed in both the 400 metres and 800 metres in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, during his medical training.

An extremely tall man, Wint appeared to cover the ground without effort and he was certainly extremely successful. In the 1948 Olympics, held in London, he won Jamaica’s first-ever gold medal in the 400 metres, equalling the then Olympic record speed. He also won a silver medal in the 800 metres. Conditions at the 1948 Games were rather more spartan than those enjoyed by athletes today: there was no Olympic village – competitors were housed in military barracks – and the continued rationing of food meant that many teams had to bring their own nourishment with them.

Wint travelled to Helsinki for the 1952 Olympics, where he won two medals, this time taking a team gold in the four x 400 metre relay and a silver in the 800 metres, as well as coming fifth in the 400 metres. After qualifying from Barts in 1953, Arthur Wint spent some time working in Britain, before returning to his childhood home, Jamaica. Here, he worked in private practice until receiving an invitation to return to London as Jamaica’s High Commissioner. Wint held this post from 1974 to 1978, and was a popular choice with Jamaicans and the British public. In 1978, Wint returned to Jamaica and assumed the running of Linstead General Hospital. He died in 1992, but is still remembered by those who saw him run.

Barts Hospital has trained and employed some remarkable people – William Harvey, who discovered the circulation of the blood, WG Grace, the renowned cricketer, and Robert Bridges, Poet Laureate, to mention a few – and the names of Hyla Stallard and Arthur Wint deserve to join them.