Tom McKean

Last updated

Tom McKean
Personal information
Born (1963-10-27) 27 October 1963 (age 60) [1]
Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1993 Toronto 800 m
World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Barcelona 800 m
European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1990 Split 800 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1986 Stuttgart 800 m
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1990 Glasgow 800 m
Commonwealth Games
Representing Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1986 Edinburgh 800 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1990 Auckland 4x400 m

Thomas McKean (born 27 October 1963) is a Scottish former middle-distance runner representing Great Britain and Scotland internationally. He was European champion over the 800 metres in 1990, and a world (1993) and European (1990) indoor champion over the 800 metres, one of the few athletes to be both indoor and outdoor European champion in the event simultaneously. He won the IAAF World Cup 800 metres in 1989.

Contents

Outdoors, McKean reached the lower steps of podiums at both European and Commonwealth Games level.

Racing during the brief era when two championships for British athletes were held annually, McKean won three British titles y; he was twice the 800 metre champion at the AAA Championships, recognised as the premier British athletics championships of the time despite allowing guest runners, while he also won the 800 metres title once at the alternative UK Athletics Championships event for British athletes only.

Athletics career

McKean was the winner of the European Championships 800m gold medal at Split in 1990. [2] McKean also won the 1990 European Indoor Championships final, [2] the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships 800 m final, [3] and the World Cup 800m race in 1989. In addition, he came first in all European Cup races from 1985 to 1991. [2] However, he failed to reach the Olympic final both in 1988, when he was disqualified for too much physical contact, and 1992.

McKean, who was born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, was one of the favourites for the 1987 World Championships in Athletics 800 m. However, he caught the foot of Stephen Ole Marai in the final and suffered an injury which resulted in him finishing last. In first round qualifying for the 1991 World Championships in Athletics 800 m he slowed up too early before the line. He ended up third and failed to qualify. The two athletes ahead of him were eventual Gold and bronze medalists Billy Konchellah and Mark Everett. McKean also won a silver medal in the 1986 European Championships in Athletics 800m splitting British teammates Sebastian Coe and Steve Cram, [2] an event memorably described by Ian Wooldridge as being "like three Spitfires coming out of the sun". [4] He set his personal best in London in 1989 at 1:43.88 min.

McKean represented Scotland at the Commonwealth where he won silver medals in 1986 in the 800 metres event [5] and in 1990 in the 4 x 400m Relay event. [6]

After athletics

Unlike some of his contemporaries, McKean did not continue a high profile role in athletics after his retirement from competition. McKean was a Strathclyde Police officer [7] until retiring in 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Cram</span> British retired track and field athlete

Stephen Cram, is a British retired track and field athlete. Along with fellow Britons Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, he was one of the world's dominant middle distance runners during the 1980s. Nicknamed "The Jarrow Arrow", after his home town, Cram set world records in the 1,500 m, 2,000 m, and the mile during a 19-day period in the summer of 1985. He was the first man to run 1,500 m under 3 minutes and 30 seconds. He won the 1,500 m gold medal at the 1983 World Championships and the 1,500 m silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Modahl</span> English middle-distance runner

Diane Dolores Modahl is an English former middle distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. She won Gold in the 800 m title at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, Silver at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, and Bronze at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Yvonne Carole Grace Murray-Mooney, is a Scottish former middle-distance and long-distance track and road-running athlete. She won a bronze medal in the 3000 metres at the 1988 Olympic Games, and gold medals at this distance at the 1987 European Indoor Championships, the 1993 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships. She also won a gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. Her 3000 metres best of 8:29.02 was set in the Olympic Final of 1988.

Peter Elliott is a former middle-distance runner from the United Kingdom. During his career, he won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, the silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 1988 Olympic Games, and the silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1987 World Championships.

Nikolina Pavlova Shtereva is a retired Bulgarian middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 and 1500 metres. She is best known for her silver medal in 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and at the European Indoor Championships she won gold medals in 1976 and 1979 and a bronze medal in 1981. She won fourteen national titles in Bulgaria, and is still the Bulgarian record holder in the 800 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amine Laâlou</span> Moroccan middle-distance runner

Amine Laâlou is a Moroccan track and field athlete, who specializes in middle-distance running. He has represented his country at the Summer Olympics on two occasions; in 2004 and 2008. He began his career as an 800 metres specialist and made his global debut at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. He won medals at smaller international competitions, including the 2004 Pan Arab Games and 2005 Mediterranean Games. He reached his first global final at the 2007 World Championships, taking sixth, and was a semi-finalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jemma Simpson</span> British athlete (born 1984)

Jemma Louise Simpson OLY is a British athlete who competes in the 800 metres and 1500 metres. She is a former British champion over 800m, winning both 2007, 2009 and 2010 British Championships. She was formerly coached by Olympic medallist Mark Rowland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Meadows</span> British athlete

Jennifer Brenda "Jenny" Meadows is a retired British athlete. Her main event was the 800 metres, although she previously competed also over the 400 metres. She won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships, and a silver at the 2010 World Indoor Championships. At the European Athletics Championships, Meadows took silver outdoors in 2010 and gold indoors in 2011. She also had some international success as part of the Great Britain women's 4 x 400 metres relay squad.

Totka Nikolaeva Petrova is a retired female middle distance runner who represented Bulgaria in the 1970s and the early 1980s. She specialized in the 800 and 1500 metres, and won numerous international medals. She is still the Bulgarian 1500 metres record holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuliya Krevsun</span> Ukrainian middle-distance runner

Yuliya Krevsun is a Ukrainian middle-distance running athlete who specialises in the 800 metres. She is a member of Fenerbahçe Athletics club in Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcin Lewandowski</span> Polish middle-distance runner

Marcin Przemysław Lewandowski is a Polish retired middle-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 1500 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and silver in the same event at the 2018 World Indoor Championships. At the European Athletics Championships, Lewandowski claimed gold in the 800 metres in 2010 and silvers in 2016 and 2018 for the 800 m and 1500 m respectively. He took also five medals at the European Indoor Championships, including three golds between 2015 and 2019, and two silvers in 2011 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Whittle</span> Scottish Conservative politician

Brian Ian Whittle is a Scottish politician and former athlete, who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland region since 2016. A member of the Scottish Conservatives, he serves as Shadow Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform.

Lynsey Sharp is a former Scottish track and field athlete who competed in the 800 metres. She is the 2012 European champion and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. She won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Her personal best is 1:57.69, the seventh fastest time over 800m by a British woman, set in the final of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Muir</span> Scottish middle-distance runner

Laura Muir is a Scottish middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 metres, having previously finished seventh in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Muir won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, and has three other top five placings in 1500 m finals at the World Athletics Championships, finishing fifth in 2015, fourth in 2017 and fifth in 2019. She is a two-time European 1500 m champion from 2018 and 2022 as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games 1500 m champion and 800 metres bronze medallist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark English (athlete)</span> Irish middle-distance runner

Mark English is an Irish middle-distance runner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Learmonth</span>

Guy Learmonth is a Scottish and Great British athlete specialising in the 800 metres. His PB currently stands as 1:44.73 and he is the 3rd fastest Scottish 800m athlete of all time. Learmonth reached the final at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 European Indoor Championships, finishing 6th in both. He was named the GB&NI captain for the European Indoor Championships in 2019. Guy has broken the Scottish 800m Junior Record 9 times and holds the English AAA U20 Indoor & BUCS Championship records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelayna Oskan-Clarke</span> British middle-distance runner

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke is a British middle-distance runner. Shelayna is currently the British 800m champion. She competed in the 800 metres event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, Where she finished 5th in the final. In 2016, she won the women's 800m at the Anniversary Games, and also reached the semi-final at the Rio Olympic Games, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. In 2019, Shelayna took the gold medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Kiessling</span> German track and field athlete

Ellen Buchleitner is a German former track and field athlete who was a middle-distance specialist. Representing East Germany, she won a silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1989 European Indoor Championships and a bronze medal in the 800m at the 1989 World Indoor Championships, before going on to win a silver medal in the 1500 metres at the 1990 European Championships. She won three East German national titles.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Graudyn[nb] is a Russian former track and field athlete who competed in the 800 metres for the Soviet Union. He was a silver medallist at both the IAAF World Indoor Championships and European Athletics Indoor Championships in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Wightman</span> British middle-distance runner (born 1994)

Jake Wightman is a British middle-distance runner who primarily competes in the 1500 metres. He won the gold medal at the 2022 World Championships, the first global gold in a middle distance event for a British male since Seb Coe's 1500 m title at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. At the European Athletics Championships, Wightman earned a bronze in 2018 and a silver for the 800 metres in 2022. He won bronze medals at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games.

References

  1. "Olympedia – Tom McKean". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 European Athletics – Event Result Database Archived 28 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  3. IAAF Statistics Handbook – 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships Archived 17 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Swede dreams as press box goes wireless
  5. "Results". Daily Post. No. 1 August 1986. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  6. "Tom McKean". Team Scotland. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  7. Frozen in time: 28 August 1986