John Nuttall (athlete)

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John Nuttall
Personal information
Born(1967-01-11)11 January 1967
Preston, Lancashire, England
Died9 November 2023(2023-11-09) (aged 56)
Doha, Qatar
Sport
SportAthletics
ClubPreston Harriers
Medal record
Athletics
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Victoria 5000 m
Representing  Great Britain
IAAF World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1994 London 5000 m

John Barry Nuttall (11 January 1967 – 9 November 2023) was a British male long-distance runner who competed in track and cross country running. He competed for Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He also represented his country twice at the World Championships in Athletics (1993, 1995) and five times at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. He was a silver medallist at the 1994 IAAF World Cup and a bronze medallist at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

Career[edit]

Born in Preston, Lancashire, on 11 January 1967,[1] Nuttall proved his ability for running as a teenager: he won the 3000 m at the English Schools' Athletics Championships in a championship record and placed third that same year at the 1985 European Athletics Junior Championships.[2][3] Further international outings followed, with appearances at the 1986 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 1986 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He came close to a medal at the 1989 Summer Universiade, taking fourth place in the 5000 m.[4]

Nuttall won a scholarship to study at Iowa State University and competed collegiately for the Iowa State Cyclones track and field and cross country teams. He suffered injuries in his first couple of years there but was successful later on. His greatest honour while there was a win at the 1989 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in which he and teammate Jonah Koech led a one-two for the Cyclones to win the NCAA team title. He won eight Big Eight Conference titles. He was also the 3000 m runner-up at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 1991. He was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2001.[5][6]

Nuttall's first senior international appearance came at the 1991 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he helped the English team to sixth. After a 3000 m win at the UK Athletics Championships in 1993, his first senior national title,[7] he competed at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, though he was eliminated in the heats.[8] His most successful year came in 1994. He was Britain's top performer at the 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 32nd place then claimed fifth place in the 5000 m at the 1994 European Athletics Championships. He took his first major medals over the 5000 m, being the silver medallist at the 1994 IAAF World Cup (behind Brahim Lahlafi) and a bronze medallist at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.[9][10] His last high-profile international medal was at the 1995 European Cup, where was runner-up for Britain in the 5000 m behind Italy's Gennaro Di Napoli.[11]

Nuttal made his second and final outing at the World Championships in 1995, reaching the 5000 m final and coming 14th.[8] He also ran at the Atlanta Olympics, but did not progress beyond the semi-finals.[1] He had his highest career placing at the 1996 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 28th to help a British team including Jon Brown, Rob Denmark, Andrew Pearson and Keith Cullen to fifth.[12] That year he had double national success with wins at the English Cross Country Championships and the AAA Championships.[7][13]

Reaching his thirties, Nuttall made his last high-profile appearance for Great Britain at the 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but he was lower down the order in 75th place.[8] He continued to run on an informal basis in his late thirties: turning to road running, he completed the 2007 London Marathon in a time of 2:57:26 and finished the Great North Run in 82:32 minutes.[4]

Personal life[edit]

Nuttall married fellow English distance runner Alison Wyeth. The couple later divorced and he married another British runner, Liz McColgan.[1] He therefore became stepfather to her daughter, athlete Eilish McColgan.[14]

From his first marriage he had two children, Hannah Nuttall and Luke Nuttall.[15] Hannah and Luke also became runners.[16][17]

Nuttall died suddenly from a heart attack in Doha, Qatar, on 9 November 2023. He was 56.[18][19]

Personal bests[edit]

International competitions[edit]

[20]

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
1985 European Junior Championships Cottbus, East Germany 3rd 3000 m 8:11.72
1986 World Cross Country Championships Colombier, Switzerland 35th Senior race 24:24.4
9th Senior team 218 pts
World Junior Championships Athens, Greece 10th 5000 m 14:08.68
1989 Universiade Duisburg, Germany 4th 5000 m 13:39.80
1991 World Cross Country Championships Antwerp, Belgium 49th Senior race 35:17
6th Senior team 281 pts
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany 10th (q) 5000 m 14:11.30
1994 World Cross Country Championships Budapest, Hungary 32nd Senior race 36:00
8th Senior team 444 pts
European Championships Helsinki, Finland 5th 5000 m 13:38.65
IAAF World Cup London, United Kingdom 2nd 5000 m 13:32.47
Commonwealth Games Victoria, Canada 3rd 5000 m 13:23.54
1995 European Cup Villeneuve d'Ascq, France 2nd 5000 m 13:46.82
World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 14th 5000 m 13:49.25
1996 World Cross Country Championships Stellenbosch, South Africa 28th Senior race 35:38
5th Senior team 252 pts
Olympic Games Atlanta, United States 9th (semis) 5000 m 14:08.39
1998 World Cross Country Championships Marrakech, Morocco 75th Senior race 37:06
10th Senior team 216 pts

National titles[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c John Nuttall Archived 13 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Sports Reference. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  2. ^ European Junior Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  3. ^ English Schools Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  4. ^ a b John Nuttall. Power of 10. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  5. ^ John Nuttall – Hall of Fame Class of 2001 Archived 27 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Iowa State Cyclones (12 September 2006). Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  6. ^ NCAA Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  7. ^ a b c UK Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  8. ^ a b c John Nuttall. IAAF. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  9. ^ IAAF World Cup. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  10. ^ Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  11. ^ European Cup. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  12. ^ The World Cross Country Championships 1996, Cape Town, South Africa – Team Results – Senior – Men. IAAF (archived). Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  13. ^ a b British Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  14. ^ "Eilish McColgan: Team GB". British Olympic Association. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Hannah Nuttall". University of New Mexico Lobos athletics. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  16. ^ Hannah Nuttall Feature. English Cross Country Association. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Luke Nuttall – Athletics | Paralympic Athlete Profile". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Dundee hero Liz McColgan reveals husband's sudden death". The Courier. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  19. ^ "John Nuttall: Liz McColgan leads tributes to former British runner and coach". BBC Sport. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d e "John Nuttall". World Athletics. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  21. ^ AAA Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  22. ^ "NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 7–9. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
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