Letter: Remembering the career of Chesterfield Olympian Ernie Harper

Harper ran for Hallamshire Harriers and Athletic Club in Sheffield. Twice he won the national cross country championship. He also won the International Cross Country championship.

One hundred years ago, Harper would compete in his first Olympics, held in Paris, also hosting the current Olympics.

Harper was competing in the cross-country event, now known as trail running.

Harper finished in fourth, just missing out on a medal, but he was hoping to get a medal in the team event. Extreme weather conditions of 40C, and noxious fumes from a power plant near the course, would mean only 15 of the 38 starters would cross the finish line. Harper was the only British competitor to finish, meaning he would not get a team medal. He also finished fifth in the 10,000 metres.

He competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics finishing 22nd in the marathon. At the 1930 Empire Games, Harper won silver in the six-mile event.

His next Olympics would be in Berlin in 1936. He was competing in the marathon, running alongside Sohn Kee-chung. They were both chasing down Argentine runner Zabala, the 1932 Olympic champion who had a huge lead.Harper advised the Japanese Sohn to be patient and not chase the leader down. His advice would serve both athletes well, because Zabala eventually pulled out. Sohn kee-Chung would go on to win gold and Harper the silver medal.

A very talented competitive athlete, he also had a fine reputation for sportsmanship. In a 1924 international cross-country event, a fellow competitor collapsed. Instead of taking full advantage of this situation, he turned and waved to another competitor for him to join him, which would cost Harper the race, because the man would go on to outsprint Harper and win.

There were other stories of Harper redirecting competitors who had gone the wrong way, also helping up fellow competitors that had fallen over.

Apparently on a bus journey home, he would give his seat up and get off the bus, running alongside it.

In 1939, Harper turned professional. Around that time he lived with his daughter in Australia.

So when you hear mention of the Olympics, think of our very own Ernie Harper, the Berlin Olympic Marathon silver medallist from Chesterfield.

Dean Fidler

Derbyshire

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