Harry Hill (cyclist)

Harold "Harry" Heaton Hill (born May 8, 1916) is a British cyclist who competed in the Olympic games in 1936. He won the bronze medal in the 4000m team pursuit in Berlin with Ernest Mills, Ernest Johnson and Charles King. [http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=HILLHAR01 Harry Hill's databaseOlympics Profile] ] Hill never met his father, who died during World War I in Africa, and he was raised by his mother in Sheffield. Too poor to get to London any other way, Hill cycled the 200 miles using the bike he planned to ride during the Olympic Games.cite news|last = Chadband|first = Ian|title = Cycling's grand old man makes it to the palace |publisher = "Evening Standard"|date = March 23 2005|url = http://homepage.mac.com/fuzzytnth3/fuzzyblogs/cycling/C525919669/E402187106/index.html|accessdate = 2008-03-08]

Upon returning to Britain after the Olympics, Hill bicycled 170 miles towards his hometown. Having bought an Olympic souvenir jacket, he had no money for food and, weak from hunger, hitched a ride for the last 30 miles. After winning the bronze medal, Hill became the first person to cycle 25 miles in an hour on an indoor track, in Milan in 1937. He was to compete at 1939 world track championships but they were cancelled due to World War II. During the conflict, he built submarines in Barrow and, afterwards, ran a garage shop in Manchester. At 60, he cycled across North America. [http://bike.pbag.co.uk/history.htm Profile at the Sheffield Phoenix Cycling Club] ]

Hill, a father of five children, claims to have never smoked nor drank alcohol and, until 2004 when he fractured his hip in a fall in Spain, he biked every day since he was 13. On March 23, 2005 he attended a reception headed by Queen Elizabeth II honouring 100 years of the British Olympic Association. At age|1916|5|8, Hill is the second-oldest living male British Olympic medalist, behind Godfrey Rampling.

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