Alan Pennington, son of Alderman John Pennington, of Wallasey, the British Olympic and A.A.A. quarter-mile champion, is expected to return to active competition this year. Alan Pennington has arrived back in this country, after three years with the C.M.F. for demobilisation.
In the opinion of Douglas Wilson, the Englis International Miler, writing in the 'Empire News' of Sunday last, Pennington will do much to increase interest in track running, in addition to considerably strengthening British teams.
Douglas Wilson writes; 'This Oxford University athlete, an Army captain wounded in Flanders in 1940, is one of the
finest quarter-milers we have ever had. His last and probably one of his best-ever races - although by no means his fastest - was at Portsmouth in September, 1942.
On that occasion he was up against Johnny Loaring, the Canadian champion. Loaring had beaten Pennington with very little difficulty earlier in the season. But at Portsmouth on that glorious September afternoon our champion displayed steely determination coupled with the most perfect display of quarter-miling I have ever seen.
From the gun he sprinted to the back stretch, strode delightfully to the home straight, and then changing his stride, put on a devastating sprint which, despite the loose track, took him to the tape in 48.8 secs., 12 yards in front of Loaring. Pennington, incidentally, is one of the few men to have beaten A. G. K. Brown.
Still on the right side of 30, he will, I think, be quite capable of repeating his former brilliance and defending successfully his A.A.A. title.
Ends
Source - Wallasey News - Saturday, 12/01/1946 by RONALD HEATH
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