Paul Nihill

Vincent Paul Nihill MBE (5 September 1939 – 15 December 2020) was a British race walker who competed at four Olympic Games.

Paul Nihill
MBE

Nihill (left) at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Born	5 September 1939 (1939-09-05) Colchester, Essex, England
Died	15 December 2020(2020-12-15) (aged 81)[1] Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, Kent, England
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	66 kg (146 lb)
Sport
Sport	Race walking
Club	Surrey Walking Club Croydon and Medway
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	1:24:50 (20 km, 1972) 4:11:31 (50 km, 1964)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo 50 km walk European Championships 1969 Athens 20 km walk 1971 Helsinki 20 km walk

Biography

Nihill competed in the 50 km event at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics, and won a silver medal in 1964. In 1968 he suffered from the high altitude conditions of Mexico and collapsed at the 44th kilometre,^[2] which was his only defeat in 86 races between 1967 and 1970. After that he focused on the 20 km distance, and won a European title in this event in 1969, followed by a bronze medal in 1971. In July 1972 he set a world record in the 20 km, but finished only sixth at the 1972 Olympics. He also competed in the 20 km walk in the 1976 Olympics, before retiring the following year.^[3]

Nihill was a four-time British 2 miles/3000m race walk champion and a four-time British 7 miles/10,000m race walk champion.^[4] After finishing third behind Ken Matthews at the 1963 AAA Championships^[5] he would go on to secure his eight titles in 1965 (x2), 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970,^[6][7] 1971 and 1975.^[8]

Nihill became the Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1976. He died at the Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham, Kent, on 15 December 2020, after contracting COVID-19 amid the COVID-19 pandemic in England.^[9]