Bevil Rudd

Bevil Gordon D'Urban Rudd (5 October 1894 – 2 February 1948) was a South African athlete, the 1920 Olympic Champion in the 400 metres.^[1]

Bevil Rudd

Personal information
Born	(1894-10-05)5 October 1894 Kimberley, Northern Cape
Died	2 February 1948(1948-02-02) (aged 53) South Africa
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	77 kg (170 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Sprints/400m/middle-distance
Club	University of Oxford AC Achilles Club
Medal record Men's athletics Representing South Africa 1920 Antwerp 400 metres 1920 Antwerp 4 × 400 m relay 1920 Antwerp 800 metres

Biography

Rudd was born in Kimberley. He was the son of Henry Percy Rudd and Mable Mina Blyth; paternal grandson of Charles Rudd, who co-founded the De Beers diamond mining company, and Frances Chiappini and maternal grandson of Captain Matthew Smith Blyth CMG, chief magistrate of the Transkei, and Elizabeth Cornelia Philpott.^{[citation needed]}

During his schooling at St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown (Upper House)^[2] he excelled both as a student and as an athlete, and he was granted a scholarship for the University of Oxford where he studied at Trinity College, Oxford.^[3] Rudd served in the First World War, and was awarded a Military Cross for bravery.^[4]

Ruud won two British AAA Championships titles in the 440 yards and 880 yards events at the 1920 AAA Championships.^[5][6][7] The following month at the 1920 Olympic Games held in Antwerp, Belgium, Rudd won his gold medal.

Rudd finished runner-up in both the 440 and 880 yards at the 1921 AAA Championships^[8][9] before completing his studies in England, and returning to South Africa, working as a sports journalist.^{[citation needed]}

He married Ursula Mary Knight, daughter of Clifford Hume Knight the Italian Consul to Cape Town, in 1926; they had at least two sons: Bevil John Blyth Rudd and Clifford Robin David Rudd, the South African Cricketer.^{[citation needed]}

In 1930, he became an editor for The Daily Telegraph, a position he held until after the Second World War. Shortly after his return to South Africa, he died there at age 53.^[10]