Hemery's first International title came at the 1966 Commonwealth Games, where he won the 120 yd hurdles in 14.1, a title he retained four years later at 1970 Commonwealth Games (it was by then the 110 m hurdles) which he won with 13.8.
At the Mexico Olympics in 1968, Hemery he won the 400 m hurdles in 48.12, a brilliant new world record. His margin of victory was the largest since 1924, beating second-placed Gerhard Hennige from West Germany by almost a second. Hemery's winning performance inspired the British public to vote him BBC TV's Sports Personality of the Year for 1968.
In 1969, Hemery won a silver at the European Championships in 110 m hurdles, but missed the next European Championships in 1971 due the injury. At the 1972 Summer Olympics, Hemery tried to defend his title, but failed, finishing third after John Akii-Bua from Uganda and Ralph Mann from United States. He was also a member of silver winning British 4x400 m relay team.
After his running career, Hemery worked as a coach in United States and Great Britain. In 1969 he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. In 1998, he was elected as the first president of UK Athletics.
David Peter Hemery (born July 18, 1944) is a former British athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
He was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but his father's work took the family to the United States, where DavidHemery attended school, graduating from Boston University in 1969 and won a NCAA championships in 400 m hurdles in 1968.
Hemery's first International title came at the 1966 Commonwealth Games, where he won the 120 yd hurdles in 14.1, a title he retained four years later at 1970 Commonwealth Games (it was by then the 110 m hurdles) which he won with 13.8.
Yet Hemery, a thinking man with a lucid brain, knew pure brute strength nurtured with the technical skills required for an event nicknamed the "man-killer" was a necessity if he was to gain an advantage over his faster, and in most cases, more experienced opponents.
Hemery was always confident he could win although he also reminded himself daily that was his only intention after the subjective training he had subscribed to in the build-up to the Games.
Hemery was relegated to bronze medal position at the Munich Games where he also completed a set of Olympic medals when winning silver in the 4x400 relay.
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